G     OOP  005  937     8 


11 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT 

of 
Redlands  University 


1 


CURE  OP  NERVOUSNESS. 


Amid  all  our  speculative  uncertainty  there  is  one 
practical  point  as  clear  as  the  day,  namely  :  that  the 
brightness  and  the  usefulness  of  life,  as  •well  as  its 
darkness  and  disaster,  depend  to  a  great  extent  upon 
our  own  use  or  abuse  of  that  miraculous  organ,  the 
brain. — Professor  Tyndall. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  REDUNDS  LIBRARY 
HYGIENE 


OF  THE 


BRAIN  AND  NERVES 


AND  THE 


CURE  OF  NERVOUSNESS. 


With  Twenty-Eight  Original  Letters  from 

Leading  Thinkers  and  Writers 

concerning  their 


PHYSICAL  AND  INTELLECTUAL  HABITS. 

BY 

M.  L.  HOLBROOK,  M.D., 

EDITOR   OP   THE    "HERALD  OF  HEALTH";   AUTHOR   OP   "PARTURITION 

WITHOUT  PAIN,"   "EATING  FOR  STRENGTH,    "LIVER  COMPLAINT," 

"DYSPEPSIA   AND   HEADACHE";    TRANSLATOR   OP    "  PRUIT 

AND    BREAD  :     A    NATURAL    AND    SCIENTIFIC    DIET/' 

AND  OP  "FROM  THE  CRADLE  TO  THE  SCHOOL." 


Wfttfn  .-f  7  -^ —  wthd'n 

KEW  YORK : 

M.  L.  HOLBEOOK  &  COMPANY. 

1879. 


OCT?    1912 


Copyrighted, 
By  M.  L.  Holbrook,  M.D., 

1878. 


C.  P.  Somerby, 

Eleclrotyper  and  Printer, 

139  Eighth-st.,  N.  Y. 


15- 

WW 
I  ST* 


PAGK. 

.  7 

.  17 

.  22 

.  29 

.  34 


CONTENTS. 

PART   I. 

CHAPTER. 

I.  The  Brain 

II.  The  Spinal  Cord 

III  The  Cranial  and  Spinal  Nerves.  . 

IV  The  Sympathetic  Nervous  System. 
V.  How  the  Nerves  Act - • 

VI.     Has  Nervous  Activity  Any  Limit  ? *i 

VII.     Nervous  Exhaustion *? 

VIII.  How  to  Cure  Nervousness        ......••••  *> 

IX      The  Cure  of  Nervousness—  Contimied o4 

%  Value  of  a   Large   Supply   of   Food  in 

Nervous  Disorders '* 

XI.     Important  Questions  Answered »» 

XII  What  our  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say  ;  lib 

COMPOSED     OF     QUOTATIONS     ON     THE    FOL- 
LOWING  SUBJECTS  : 

Expectant  Attention-  Wm.  B.  Carpenter,  M.B.,  ^ 

^ormaliy 'Developed  Brains-^ X.'ciarke', M.B.  120 
Alcohol  Enfeebles  the  Reason  -  Benjamin  W. 

Richardson,  M.B.,  F.B.8. •  ■  ■  •  •  ••••••  ™ 

Women  and  Brain  Labor-Frances  Boicer  Cobbe.  121 
Difference  between  Man's  and  Woman  s  Brain 


■Q.  Spurzheim,  M.D. 


123 
Rejuvenating  PoVer  of  Sleep-f  B.Black  MB  125 
Physiological  Effects  of  Excessive  Brain  Labor 

—  Wm.  A.  Hammond,  M.B.  •••.••••'  o  "• "  '  Jo? 
Training  Both  Sides  of  the  Bram-Dr  Segum.  .  127 
Amount  of  Blood  Necessary  to  Mental  Vigor- 

Alexander  Bain,  LL.B rVnCW  n 

Take   Care    of    Your    Health  -John    Tyndall, 

LL.B.yF.R,S •  •  •  •  • ■ "!/ 

Neuter  X erbs—ArcMsIwp  Whately. . . . . . . . . . . . .  !«" 

Exercising  the  Brain— Lionel  John  Beale,  M.U. 

as ldZ 


IV 


Contents. 


PAGE. 

How  Chancellor  Kent  was  Educated — Cliancel- 

lor  Kent 134 

Origin  of  Abuse  of  the  Mind — RobH  Macintosh..  135 

Intellect  Not  All — Dr.  Brown- Seqxiard 137 

Early    Mental    Culture    a  Mistake  —  Amariah' 

Brigham,  M.D 138 

Walter  Scott's  Boyhood — Harriet  Martineau. . ..  140 

A  Wise  Thought  from  Herbert  Spencer 141 

Hot-House  Brains — B.  B.  Bowker 144 

Book  -  Gluttony   and   Lesson  -  Bibbing — T.  W. 

Huxley,  M.B.,  F.B.S 145 

Continued  and  Varied  Activity  of  the  Mind — 

Benj.  W.  Bichardson,  M.D.,  F.B.S 147 


PART    II. 

Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits  of  Distinguished 
Men  and  Women,  as  Described  by  Them- 
selves for  this  Work. 

LETTERS.  TAGE. 

I.     O.  B.  Frothingham 151 

II.     Francis  W.  Newman 159 

III.  T.  L.  Nichols,  M.D 166 

IV.  Joseph  Rodes  Buchanan,  M.D 171 

V.  Gerrit  Smith  (Written  by  his  daughter).  .   179 

VI.     Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson 182 

VII.     Norton  S.  Townshend,  M.D 184 

VIII.     Edward  Baltzer 190 

IX.     Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison 194 

X.     A.  Bronson  Alcott 195 

XL     S.  O.  Gleason,  M.D 198 

XII.     William  E.  Dodge 201 

XIII.  Henry  Hyde  Lee 203 

XIV.  Dio  Lewis,  M.D 205 

XV.     Frederic  Beecher  Perkins 207 

XVI.     Judge  Samuel  A.  Foot,  LL.D 211 

XVII.     Mark  Hopkins 213 

XVIII.     William  Cullen  Bryant 214 

XIX.     William  Howitt 219 

XX.     The  late  Rev.  John  Todd 236 

XXI.     The  late  Rev.  Charles  Cleveland 244 

XXII.     W.  A.,  M.D 247 

XXIII.  Sarah  J.  Hale 250 

XXIV.  Horace  and  Mary  Mann 251 

XXV.     Julia  E.  Smith 254 

XXVI.     Mary  J.  Stud  ley,  M.D 259 

XXVII.     Elizabeth  Oakes  Smith 264 

XXVIII.     Rebecca  B.  Gleason,  M.D 270 


PREFACE. 

During  a  month's  sojourn,  many  years  ago, 
in  near  proximity  to  a  settlement  of  Indians, 
where  I  had  frequent  opportunity  to  observe 
their  habits  and  mental  characteristics,  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that,  whatever  their  defects 
of  development  might  be,  they  were  certainly 
not  subject  to  nervousness.  There  are  abund- 
ant examples  among  our  own  race  of  people 
who  were  "  born  before  nerves  were  invented." 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  greater  strain  put 
on  the  nervous  system  by  our  unnatural  meth- 
ods of  culture,  and  by  the  sharp  conflict  which 
competition  compels,  has  caused  a  remarkable 
increase  in  nervous  maladies.  A  true  civiliza- 
tion would  seek  to  prevent  them,  and  that  can 
only  be  done  by  a  correct  knowledge  of  the 
functions  and  uses  of  the  nervous  system. 


vi  Preface. 

We  ought  certainly  to  understand  the  use 
of  all  the  tools  which  we  are  obliged  to  em- 
ploy. The  brain  is,  in  one  sense,  a  tool, 
employed  in  the  manufacture  of  thought  and 
emotion.  Wisdom  would  dictate  that  we  should 
learn  how  to  keep  it  in  the  very  best  condition 
possible.  It  has  been  the  aim  in  preparing 
this  book  to  give  such  knowledge  as  is  neces- 
sary to  do  this.  It  has  been  gathered  from 
many  sources,  and  put  into  a  form  most  easily 
understood.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  it  may  be 
serviceable  to  all  who  read  it. 

The  numerous  letters  from  some  of  our 
thinkers  and  writers,  giving  an  account  of  their 
own  physical  and  intellectual  habits,  found  in 
Part  II,  we  are  sure  will  be  appreciated;  and 
we  hereby  tender  to  the  writers  of  the  same 
our  hearty  thanks  for  permitting  us  to  give 
them  to  the  public. 

M.  L.  H. 


/  ?7^ 

HYGIENE  OF  THE  BRAIN 
AND  NERVES. 

DP^^JE^T     I. 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Brain. 

There  are  few  persons  who  do  not  appre- 
ciate the  value  of  sound  lungs,  a  strong  heart,  a 
vigorous  stomach,  muscles  that  never  tire  of  mo- 
tion, and  nearly  everybody  gives  some  practical 
attention  to  the  health  of  these  organs;  but  the 
nervous  system,  which  presides  over  all  the  vital 
processes  of  the  body,  and  out  of  which  flow 
thought,  feeling,  emotion  and  will,  which  make 
us  intelligent  creatures,  receives  too  little  of  our 
care — is  too  little  guarded  from  evil  influences. 

It  is  to  make  some  slight  contribution  to  the 


8  The  Brain. 

well-being  of  the  brain  and  nerves  that  this  little 
book  is  undertaken.  It  is  true  there  are  those 
who  think  that  the  less  we  know  of  ourselves, 
and  the  sooner  we  forget  to  live  by  rule,  the  bet- 
ter ;  but  this  class  will  soon  become  obsolete  and 
forgotten.  The  tendency  of  modern  times  is  to 
make  the  discoveries  of  science  available  for  hu- 
man welfare,  and  what  welfare  is  more  important 
than  the  perfection  of  our  own  bodies,  and  espe- 
cially of  that  part  of  them  most  nearly  allied  to 
the  immortal — the  nervous  system.  The  poet 
George  Herbert,  a  companion  and  friend  of  Lord 
Bacon,  and  perhaps  the  best  of  the  old  devotional 
poets,  in  that  most  exquisite  and  thoughtful  poem, 
"  The  Church  Porch,"  says  : 

"Slight  those  who  say,  amidst  their  sickly  healths, 
Thou  liv'st  by  rule;  what  doth  not  so  hut  man? 
Houses  are  built  by  rule,  and  commonwealths; 

Entice  the  trusty  sun,  if  that  you  can, 
From  his  ecliptic  line,  beckon  the  sky — 
Who  lives  by  rule  then  keeps  good  company. 

"  Who  keeps  no  guard  upon  himself  is  slack, 
And  rots  to  nothing  at  the  next  great  thaw! 
Man  is  a  shop  of  rules,  a  well-trussed  pack, 

Whose  every  parcel  underwrites  a  law; 
Love  not  thyself,  nor  give  thy  humors  way: 
God  gave  them  to  thee  under  lock  and  key." 


The  Brain.  9 

In  order  to  guard  the  brain  and  nerves  from 
injury,  and  give  them  that  wise  care  which  is 
essential  to  right  living,  we  should  possess  some 
understanding  of  the  nature,  structure  and  uses 
of  these  organs  ;  and  so  we  will  begin  by  giving 
a  general  view  of  them. 

The  brain  is  that  large  mass  of  soft,  pulpy 
matter  which  fills  the  skull.  Every  animal  which 
has  a  backbone  or  spinal  column  has  a  brain, 
with  just  one  exception,  and  that  is  an  oceanic 
fish ;  but  the  brains  of  different  animals  vary 
greatly  in  size.  The  elephant  has  the  largest 
brain  of  any  animal — one  that  sometimes  weighs 
nine  or  ten  pounds.  The  full-sized  whale  has  a 
brain  weighing  about  five  pounds;  but  an  ele- 
phant's brain  only  weighs  the  five-hundredth  part 
of  the  weight  of  its  body,  while  a  man's  brain 
weighs  not  far  from  the  one  thirty-sixth  part  of 
his  own  weight.  The  brains  of  birds  are  larger 
in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  body  than  those 
of  men.  A  canary's  is  the  twentieth  of  its  own 
weight,  and  the  little  blue -headed  tit's  the 
twelfth. 

The  brain  of  man,  however,  is  of  better  quality 
than  that  of  any  animal,  and  weighs  on  the  aver- 


10 


The  Brain. 


age  forty-eight  ounces ;    that  of  woman  weighs 
forty-four   ounces.     It   is   separated   into   three 


Fig.  1. — Vertical  Section  of  the  Brain. 
1.  Medulla  Oblongata. 
4.  Cerebellum. 
29-34.  Cerebrum  and  its  Convolutions. 

principal  parts:    the  cerebrum,  the  cerebellum, 
and  the  medulla  oblongata. 

THE    CEREBRUM. 

The  cerebrum  occupies  nearly  the  entire 
skull,  in  fact  all  except  the  small  portion  at  the 
back  part  of  the  base  of  this  cavity.  Its  function 
is  that  of  thought,  feeling,  emotion,  will,  intelli- 
gence.    It  is  now  certain  that  there  can  be  no 


Cerebrum —  Cerebellum.  1 1 

intelligence  without  brain  substance.  The  oyster 
and  clam  are  not  intelligent — they  have  no  brain  ; 
and  in  proportion  as  man's  brain  is  increased  in 
size  and  developed  we  have  intellectual  phenom- 
ena. On  the  other  hand,  let  the  brain  substance 
be  injured  or  destroyed,  or  deficient  in  quantity 
or  quality,  and  idiocy,  stupidity,  ignorance,  fee- 
bleness, absence  of  intelligence,  lack  of  will  and 
moral  force,  become  at  once  apparent.  Con- 
sciousness is  inseparable  from  the  activity  of  this 
part  of  the  brain,  and  though  there  are  many 
movements  in  animals  after  the  cerebrum  is  re- 
moved, yet  no  consciousness  is  present. 

THE    CEREBELLUM. 

The  cerebellum  has  entirely  different  work 
to  do  from  that  of  the  brain  proper,  and  is  much 
smaller  in  size,  weighing  only  a  few  ounces,  while 
the  cerebrum  weighs  several  pounds.  It  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  cerebrum  by  a  tough  membrane 
called  the  tentorium,  a  process  of  the  dura  mater, 
or  lining  membrane  of  the  skull.  This  process 
which  separates  the  large  and  small  brain  is  very 
serviceable,  as  it  forms  a  bed  for  the  former,  and 
relieves  the  latter  from  supporting  it. 

There  has  been  much  written  about  the  func- 


12  The  Brain. 

tions  of  the  cerebellum,  and  it  is  now  known  that 
its  chief  function  is  the  co-ordinating  into  one 
movement  the  entire  action  of  the  muscles.  This 
is  perhaps  best  illustrated  by  a  comparison.  A 
skillful  dancer  or  gymnast  can  combine  the  ac- 
tions of  his  muscles  into  one  beautiful  movement 
of  grace  and  dexterity.  The  nimble  kitten  will 
play,  and  its  movements  be  wonderfully  har- 
monious. It  knows  precisely  how  far  to  jump 
for  a  mouse,  and  in  making  the  effort  all  the 
muscles  obey.  The  monkey  and  squirrel  climb 
trees  with  perfect  ease,  and  rarely  fall.  Their 
actions  illustrate  that  co-ordination  which  physi- 
ologists say  is  the  function  of  the  cerebellum. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  drunken  man  cannot  co- 
ordinate the  movements  of  his  muscles,  and  so  lie 
staggers  about.  The  muscles  refuse  to  obey  be- 
cause the  cerebellum  has  been  temporarily  para- 
lyzed, and  cannot  attend  to  its  functions. 

The  method  by  which  physiologists  prove 
this  function,  it  is  true,  has  some  objections,  for 
it  consists  in  removing  the  cerebellum  from  such 
animals  as  can  endure  it,  more  especially  from 
the  pigeon  and  common  barnyard  cock.  The 
result  is,  they  immediately  lose  this  co-ordinating 


The  Cerebellum.  13 

power  and  cannot  control  their  muscles,  lack  sta- 
bility, and  act  as  a  drunkard  does. 

These  experiments  cannot  be  tried  on  human 
beings,  but  there  are  a  few  cases  in  which  the 
cerebellum  has  become  diseased  which  show  that 
co-ordinating  power  is  its  chief  function.  In 
those  fishes  which  possess  great  powrer  of  move- 
ment the  cerebellum  is  relatively  larger  than  in 
those  of  a  torpid  nature  ;  and  in  reptiles  we  have 
a  very  good  illustration  of  the  relation  between  a 
small  cerebellum  and  that  inertness  which  they 
manifest.  In  snakes  the  cerebellum  is  small, 
and  though  they  may  at  times  show  considerable 
muscular  force,  yet  as  a  rule  they  are  lazy,  and 
prefer  to  move  about  no  more  than  is  necessary. 
If  poisonous  reptiles  had  a  larger  cerebellum, 
they  would  be  much  more  dangerous  creatures 
than  they  are  at  present. 

In  birds  the  cerebellum  is  of  large  size,  in 
perfect  conformity  with  the  varied  muscular 
movements  which  this  class  of  animals  perform. 
In  the  mammalia  the  cerebellum  varies  greatly 
in  development,  yet  there  is  a  close  correspond- 
ence between  its  size  and  the  amount  and  variety 
of  muscular  movements  which  the  animal  can  per- 
form.   Men  with  large  muscles  and  great  physical 


14=  The  Brain, 

power  have  a  large  cerebellum,  while  feeble  ones, 
and  those  by  nature  of  a  delicate  constitution, 
generally  possess  one  of  a  diminutive  size.  The 
same  is  true  of  animals.  It  is  said  that  in  the 
horse  or  ox  trained  to  hard  work  the  cerebellum 
is  larger  than  in  the  one  not  so  trained. 

Dr.  Ferrier,  whose  remarkable  studies  and 
experiments  on  the  brain  by  means  of  electricity 
have  attracted  so  much  attention  in  the  scientific 
world  within  a  few  years,  has  demonstrated  that 
the  cerebellum  is  the  ganglionic  center  of  the 
motor  nerves  of  the  eye — every  kind  of  move- 
ment of  the  eyeballs  being  proved  by  him  to 
originate  from  a  particular  part  of  this  organ. 
This  helps  to  explain  the  very  close  relation  be- 
tween the  guiding  power  we  derive  from  the  eye 
and  the  equilibrium  of  our  muscular  movements. 
With  what  difficulty  we  maintain  our  equilibrium 
when  we  cannot  see  !  So,  too,  the  dizziness  which 
comes  from  turning  round  rapidly,  Dr.  Carpenter 
thinks,  is  the  result  of  a  compression  of  ocular 
impressions  which  prevent  the  movements  of  the 
eye  co-ordinating  with  the  general  movements  of 
the  body. 

There  may  be   other  functions  of  the  cere- 


The  Medulla   Oblongata.  15 

bellum  not  yet  discovered,  but  as  yet  no  other 
are  known  to  exist  with  any  certainty. 

THE    MEDULLA    OBLONGATA. 

The  medulla  connects  the  brain  proper  with 
the  spinal  cord.  It  is  a  center  of  less  complex 
functions  than  the  brain,  but  more  complex  than 
the  cord,  and  intimately  connected  with  essen- 
tial vital  functions.  All  but  four  of  the  cranial 
nerves  are  directly  connected  with  its  gray  cen- 
ters, and  it  is  the  seat  of  such  actions  as  pro- 
ceed from  these  nerves,  either  singly  or  com- 
bined. The  co-ordination  of  the  muscles  which 
produce  articulate  speech  probably  have  their 
center  here.  It  is  also  a  center  of  facial  expres- 
sion, and  without  doubt  the  crying  of  babies  is  a 
reflex  action  of  this  part.  The  chief  function  of 
the  medulla,  however,  is  the  co-ordination  of  re- 
spiratory movements.  So  long  as  the  medulla 
is  intact,  the  function  of  respiration  goes  on  with 
regularity  and  rhythm,  although  other  parts  of 
the  brain  may  have  been  destroyed.  Destroy 
this,  however,  and  respiration  ceases  and  instant 
death  ensues.  Nearly  all  know  that  a  blow  on 
the  base  of  the  brain  destroys  life  instantly. 
This  is  because  the  medulla  has  been  destroyed 


16  The  Brain. 

and  the  function  of  respiration  lost.  On  account 
of  this  it  has  been  called  "  the  seat  of  life,"  "  the 
vital  point,"  etc.  The  only  animal,  so  far  as  we 
know,  that  can  live  after  the  medulla  has  been 
injured  is  the  frog,  and  this  is  explained  by  the 
fact  that  it  respires  partly  through  the  skin. 

The  medulla  is  also  a  source  of  innervation 
for  the  heart,  though  this  organ  has  centers  in  its 
own  substance  which  help  to  govern  its  regular 
movements. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Spinal  Cord. 

The  spinal  cord  is  an  extension  of  the  brain 
outside  of  the  skull  into  the  passage  that  consti- 
tutes a  part  of  that  long  chain  of  bones  piled  one 
upon  the  other,  and  called  the  spinal  column  or 
backbone.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  get  a  view  ot 
this  cord  in  any  animal  after  the  butcher  has 
split  the  bones  with  his  ax,  exposing  more  or 
less  of  it  in,  it  is  true,  a  somewhat  fragmentary 
state  to  our  view ;  or  it  may  be  dissected  out 
carefully  in  fishes,  birds,  or  other  small  creatures, 
and  studied  with  care.  It  is  a  soft,  delicate, 
pulpy  mass  of  gray  and  white  substance,  pro- 
tected from  injury  by  the  bony  prominences 
which  arch  around  it  in  a  very  wonderful  way, 
inclosing  it  on  all  sides  in  a  long  cavity,  or  canal, 
which  is  often  called  the  spinal  canal,  and  cerebro- 


18  The  Spinal   Cord. 

spinal  axis.  The  cord  is  surrounded  by  an  en- 
velope of  membranes  which  support  it  and  the 
vessels  supplying  it  with  blood.  The  length  of 
the  cord  is  from  eighteen  to  twenty  inches,  but  its 
weight  is  very  slight,  hardly  exceeding  an  ounce 
and  a  half.  In  form  it  is  round,  being  slightly 
flattened  in  certain  parts.  It  extends  downward 
to  the  first  lumbar  vertebra.  Like  the  brain,  it  is 
divided  into  two  lateral  halves.  It  would  be 
tedious  to  discuss  at  great  length  the  anatomy  of 
the  cord,  which  is  exceedingly  curious,  and  diffi- 
cult to  be  understood  without  special  study  in 
the  dissecting-room,  which  is  unnecessary  to  our 
object.  We  will,  however,  say  briefly  something 
about  its  functions.  The  anterior  lateral  half  is 
entirely  insensible  to  irritation,  and  serves  as  a 
conductor  of  stimulus  from  the  brain  to  the 
muscles.  Cut  this  half  of  the  cord,  and  those 
parts  situated  below  it  lose  their  power  of  motion. 
If  the  posterior  or  back  part  is  cut,  however,  the 
power  of  motion  is  not  lost.  When  the  will 
directs  that  certain  muscles  shall  act,  it  sends  the 
order  down  through  this  half  of  the  cord,  which, 
if  not  injured,  carries  it  to  the  muscles,  and  they 
obey.  If,  however,  there  be  any  injury  to  this 
half,  the  connection  is   severed,   and   the    man- 


The  Spinal   Cord.  19 

dates  of  the  will  are  not  and  can  not  be  carried 
out.  * 

The  posterior  half  of  the  spinal  cord  has  dif- 
ferent functions,  perhaps  several,  although  as  yet 
our  knowledge  is  not  complete  on  this  subject. 
It  is  now  certain  that  if  the  gray  substance  of 
the  posterior  half  of  the  spinal  cord  be  cut  in 
two,  then  sensibility  of  all  the  parts  below  this 
region  is  completely  destroyed,  so  that  they 
may  be  cut,  pinched  and  pricked  without  any 
sensation.  There  is  no  means  of  communica- 
ting intelligence  of  any  pain  from  the  surface 
to  the  brain,  and  so  a  knowledge  of  pain  cannot 
exist. 

The  posterior  half  of  the  spinal  cord  may  be 
cut  without  in  the  least  destroying  sensation. 
This  half  of  the  cord  is  concerned  with  the  cere- 
bellum in  aiding  to  co-ordinate  the  movements 
of  the  muscles.  It  is  not  necessary  to  go  through 
with  all  the  details  of  the  experiments  that  lead 
us  to  this  conclusion.  We  will  mention  that 
the  peculiar  disease  formerly  believed  to  be  a 
form  of  paralysis,  and  frequently  occurring  in 
patients  who  have  suffered  with  diphtheria, 
typhoid  fever,  and  some  other  diseases,  known 
as  locomotor  ataxia,  in  which  there  is  difficulty 


20  The  Spinal  Cord. 

in  co-ordinating  muscular  action,  is  the  result  of 
lesion  of  this  half  of  the  spinal  cord. 

We  have  now  three  different  functions  of  the 
spinal  cord  : 

1.  The  conduction  of  motary  stimulus  to  the 
muscles. 

2.  The  conduction  of  sensation  to  the  brain. 

3.  Co-ordinating  power. 

But  we  are  not  through  with  the  functions  of 
the  cord.  We  know  that  it  is,  after  all,  only  an 
extension  of  the  brain — that  it  is,  like  it,  com- 
posed of  gray  and  white  matter,  and  its  gray 
substance  may,  to  a  slight  extent,  generate  nerv- 
ous energy,  and  act  as  a  nervous  center  of  mo- 
tion, and  perhaps  of  sensation.  The  experiments 
which  have  led  to  this  view  have  been  made 
mainly  on  frogs  which  have  been  decapitated, 
and  which  can  be  made  under  certain  circum- 
stances to  jump  about,  to  apparently  feel  pain, 
at  least  to  try  to  brush  off  with  one  foot  a  burn- 
ing acid  applied  on  the  other  foot.  Similar  ex- 
periments bring  similar  results  applied  to  decapi- 
tated criminals. 

If  the  spinal  cord  be  injured,  the  parts  below 
the  injury  are  paralyzed.  This  happens  when 
any  serious  accident  has  broken  or  displaced  the 


The  Spinal  Cord.  21 

bones  of  the  column  which  surround  and  pro- 
tect the  cord.  Even  a  little  piece  of  bone 
pressing  on  it  cuts  off  all  communication  with 
the  brain  and  the  parts  below.  When  a  person 
is  paralyzed  in  this  way  we  say  his  back  is 
broken.  If  the  injury  be  in  the  middle  of  the 
back  the  legs  are  paralyzed.  If  at  the  neck,  the 
whole  body  is  paralyzed. 

All  along  the  spinal  column  nerves  branch 
off  that  go  to  every  portion  of  the  body. 

The  spinal  cord  should  not  be  injured  by 
blows,  by  jars,  as  in  jumping  from  a  height,  by 
exposure  to  cold,  by  violent  exercise,  or  by  tight 
clothing  which  impedes  the  circulation  of  the 
blood  in  the  parts,  and  the  flow  of  nervous  in- 
fluence to  and  from  the  brain  to  all  parts  of  the 
body. 


CHAPTER  III. 
The  Cranial  and  Spinal  Nerves. 

There  are  thirty-one  pairs  of  spinal  nerves. 
Each  one  of  these  arises  from  the  spinal  cord  by 
two  roots;  one  of  these  roots  is  endowed  with 
motor  properties — that  is  to  say,  it  conveys  that 
property  to  the  muscles  which  gives  them  the 
power  to  contract  and  move — but  the  other  root 
has  a  very  different  property,  for  it  cannot  induce 
motion,  but  only  the  power  of  feeling  and  sensa- 
tion. The  root  which  inves  sensation  is  the  larger 
of  the  two.  Why  this  is  so  is  difficult  to  see  un- 
less sensation  requires  more  conducting  surface 
than  motion.  Each  of  these  roots  has  a  ganglion 
of  its  own.  A  ganglion  is  simply  an  enlargement 
of  the  nerve  into  a  small  bulb-like  shape,  and  an 
immediate  return  to  its  former  size.  Just  beyond 
the  iranii'lion  the  two  roots  unite  into  one  com- 


The   Cranial  and  Spinal  Nerves.       23 

mon  nerve,  passing  out  at  the  spinal  canal  by  a 
passage-way  through  the  vertebra.  Any  one  may 
examine  the  passage  for  himself  by  taking  one  of 
the  vertebral  bones  of  an  animal,  and  studying 
it.  The  two  roots  after  they  have  united  in  one 
possess  both  motor  and  sensory  power.  As  soon 
as  a  nerve  has  passed  out  of  the  bony  cavity  that 
held  it  in  close  confinement  and  gave  it  protection, 
it  divides  into  two  branches ;  one  branch  is  dis- 
tributed on  the  front  of  the  body  and  the  other 
on  the  back.  The  branch  which  supplies  the 
front  of  the  body  also  supplies  the  limbs,  and  is 
much  larger  than  the  other  one.  These  thirty- 
one  pairs  of  nerves  are  called  the  spinal  nerves. 
Eight  pairs  are  given  off  from  the  cervical  or 
neck  portion  of  the  spinal  column,  twelve  from 
the  dorsal,  and  five  from  the  lumbar,  five  from  the 
sacral  and  one  from  the  coccygeal.  The  nerves 
of  the  cervical  region  supply  the  muscles  and 
skin  of  the  neck  and  arms.  The  dorsal  supply 
the  back,  chest  and  abdomen,  and  the  lumbar 
nerves  supply  the  lumbar  region,  and  they  all 
have  a  union  with  another  nervous  system  not 
yet  mentioned — the  sympathetic  nerves — which 
will  form  the  subject  of  a  future  chapter. 

Besides  the  spinal  nerves  there  are  nine  other 


24         The   Cranial  arid  Spinal  JWerves. 

pairs  which  arise  directly  from  the  brain  itself. 
These  are  the  cranial  nerves  and  have  special 
functions,  which  are  very  different  from  those  of 
spinal  nerves.     They  are  as  follows  : 

The  first  is  called  the  olfactory  nerve.  It 
spreads  out  in  a  certain  part  of  the  nasal  cavity 
and  furnishes  the  sense  of  smell. 

The  second  is  called  the  optic  nerve.  It  is  of 
very  large  size,  goes  into  the  eye  and  expands 
into  the  nervous  membrane  of  the  eyeball,  the 
retina,  where  it  receives  the  vibrations  of  light, 
conducting  them  to  the  brain,  where  they  are 
transformed  into  sensations  of  sight. 

The  third  is  called  the  motor  oculi  communis, 
distributed  to  the  muscles  of  the  eyeballs.  It  is 
a  small  nerve  and  conducts  to  the  muscles  of  the 
eyeball  stimulus  for  moving  the  ball  in  many 
ways. 

The  fourth,  or  trochlear,  is  a  motor  nerve, 
distributed  to  a  muscle  of  the  eye  not  supplied  by 
the  third  pair. 

The  fifth  pair  has  two  roots,  a  small  one  sup- 
plying the  muscles  which  masticate  our  food,  and 
a  large  one  the  trifacial,  or  nerve  which  gives 
general  sensibility  to  the  face.  A  most  torment- 
ing form  of  neuralgia  originates  in  this  nerve. 


Further  Remarks  on  Cranial  Nerves.     25 

The  sixth  pair  supplies  another  muscle  of  the 
eyeball  not  otherwise  provided  for. 

The  seventh  pair  has  two  branches,  one  form- 
ing the  nerve  of  hearing,  and  the  other  distribu- 
ted to  the  muscles  of  the  face. 

The  eighth  pair  consists  of  three  branches :  the 
glossopharyngeal,  presiding  over  the  sense  of 
taste  ;  the  pneumo  gastric,  with  very  extensive 
distribution,  to  be  spoken  of  hereafter  ;  and  the 
spinal  accessory,  also  of  extensive  distribution. 

The  ninth  pair  is  the  sublingual  or  motor 
ner^e  of  the  tongue. 

FURTHER  REMARKS  ON  THE  CRANIAL  NERVES. 

The  third  pair  of  nerves,  when  healthy  and 
evenly  distributed  to  the  eye,  gives  a  wonderful 
beauty  to  this  organ  and  its  surroundings.  If 
paralyzed  or  diseased,  then  the  upper  eyelid  falls, 
the  eyeball  becomes  immovable,  except  outwardly, 
and  the  pupil  of  the  eye  dilates.  The  third  pair 
animates  the  eye  and  its  surrounding  muscles. 

The  seventh  pair  of  nerves  is  of  special 
interest ;  one  branch  going  to  the  ear  for  the  pur- 
pose of  taking  recognition  of  sound,  and  the  other 
branch  being  distributed  to  the  superficial  muscles 
of  the  face,  constituting  really  the  nerve  of  expres- 


26        The   Cranial  and  Sjnnal  Nerves. 

sion.  We  may  imagine  this  nerve  when  large  and 
active  giving  wonderful  beauty  of  expression 
to  our  faces';  and,  on  the  other  hand,  when  inact- 
ive, giving  a  listless,  stupid  countenance,  and 
when  paralyzed  giving  a  fearful  distortion  of  the 
facial  muscles. 

One  branch  of  the  eighth  pair,  the  spinal  ac- 
cessory, seems  to  have  an  intimate  connection 
with  the  voice,  this  becoming  weak,  hoarse,  and 
perhaps  partially  lost  on  division  of  the  nerve. 

It  also  influences  swallowing  ;  for  its  division 
prevents  the  complete  close  of  the  glottis,  and  so 
food  may  find  its  way  into  the  air-passages.  A 
branch  of  this  nerve,  which  passes  to  the  heart, 
seems  to  hold  over  it  an  inhibitory  power ;  perhaps 
preventing  it  from  too  rapid  movement.  Another 
external  branch  of  this  nerve  assists  in  the  con- 
trol of  the  respiratory  muscles  during  speak- 
ing and  singing,  so  as  to  make  the  breathing 
correspond  to  the  necessary  action  of  the  voice. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  the  cranial 
nerves  is  the  pneumogastric  branch  of  the  eighth 
pair.  Its  name,  pneumogastric,  signifies  to  some 
extent  its  distribution,  namely,  to  the  stomach 
and  lungs;  but  it  has  branches  distributed  to  the 
ear,  the  pharynx,  larynx,  heart,  lungs,  stomach, 


Further  Remarks  on  Cranial  Nerves.     27 

liver  and  abdomen.  Its  action  upon  the  heart  is 
to  hold  it  to  a  certain  number  of  pulsations  per 
minute,  and  if  the  branch  going  to  the  heart  is 
cut  this  organ  begins  to  beat  at  a  rapid  rate. 
The  effect  on  the  lungs  is  quite  the  opposite,  for 
by  a  section  of  the  branch  distributed  to  these  or- 
gans, the  respirations  become  deep,  but  infre- 
quent, falling  to  four  in  a  minute. 

The  influence  of  this  nerve  on  the  stomach  is 
very  great;  and  it  seems  to  furnish  it  with  a  stim- 
ulus for  both  the  secretion  of  its  gastric  juice  and 
for  its  muscular  contractions.  "When  both  nerves 
are  divided,  digestion  ceases  almost  entirely,  and 
death  supervenes.  There  is  little  doubt  that 
much  of  our  modern  dyspepsia  arises  from  an 
insufficient  supply  of  nervous  stimuli  for  this 
organ  through  the  pneumogastric  nerve.  The 
cause,  however,  does  not  lie  in  the  nerve,  which 
has  no  power  to  generate  stimuli,  but  in  the  brain, 
which  does  not  generate  it  in  sufficient  quantities, 
or,  if  it  does,  gives  it  to  other  organs. 

The  termination  of  the  nerves  in  any  organ  is 
curious  and  interesting.  In  muscles  they  ter- 
minate suddenly  and  at  right  angles  in  a  muscular 
fiber.  In  glands  they  terminate  abruptly  in  the 
cells.     The  influence  of  the  nerves  over  secretion 


28        The  Cranial  and  Spinal  Nerves, 

is  very  great  and  well  known.  The  sensory 
nerves  do  not  terminate  in  any  organ  specially, 
but  in  the  integument  of  the  skin  in  filaments. 

Nerves  are  composed  mainly  of  albuminous 
substances,  combined  with  sulphur  and  phospho- 
rus, and  with  a  brain  fat,  also  combined  with 
phosphorus;  also  of  a  substance  resembling  starch. 

Nervous  tissue  is  regenerated  after  its  partial 
destruction — that  is,  if  a  nerve  be  divided  or  re- 
moved it  grows  again  slowly,  and  its  function  is 
restored ;  and  it  is  now  known  that  where  a  por- 
tion of  the  brain  is  destroyed  it  may  grow  again. 
Especially  is  this  true  in  the  case  of  pigeons,  and, 
no  doubt,  it  is  also  true  in  the  case  of  man. 

The  properties  of  the  nerves  of  sensation  and 
motion  are  inherent,  and  the  perfection  of  their 
activity  depends  largely  upon  a  full  supply  of 
healthy  blood  for  the  nourishing  of  their  sub- 
stance. 


CHAPTER  IT. 

The  Sympathetic  Nervous  System. 

There  are  two  nervous  systems  in  each  in- 
dividual. They  are  quite  distinct  from  one  an- 
other, and  yet  united  by  filaments,  so  that  there 
is  an  action  and  reaction  from  one  to  the  other. 
The  first  is  the  nervous  system  which  we  have 
described,  with  its  center  in  the  brain  and  spinal 
cord,  and  its  ramifications  in  every  part  of  the 
body.  This  system  is  the  seat  of  thought,  emo- 
tion, sensation,  and  will.  The  other  is  the  sym- 
pathetic nervous  system,  and  presides  over  the 
functions  of  nutrition,  secretion  and  vegetative 
life.  It  has  its  center  in  what  may  be  called 
the  abdominal  brain,  or  pair  of  brains,  consisting 
of  large  semi-lunar  ganglia,  one  lying  on  each 
side  of  the  spinal  column  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  abdominal  cavity.     A  chain  extends  upward 


30       The  Sympathetic  Nervous  System. 

on  each  side  of  the  spinal  column,  the  whole 
length  of  the  trunk,  into  the  brain.  This  chain 
consists  of  a  cord  which  swells  into  ganglia  every 
few  inches.  From  these  ganglia  nerves  are  given 
off  which  are  distributed  to  all  the  great  internal 
organs  of  the  body,  the  heart,  lungs,  stomach, 
liver,  kidneys,  intestines,  and  especially  to  the 
muscular  coats  of  the  arteries.  It  is  a  striking 
peculiarity  of  the  sympathetic  nervous  system 
that  its  nerves  follow  very  closely  the  blood-ves- 
sels. Starting  from  the  heart  they  envelop  the 
arteries  in  a  network  of  fine  interlacing  nerves, 
which  follow  them  in  all  their  ramifications.  The 
semi -lunar  ganglia  are  often  called  the  solar 
plexus,  for  the  nerves  radiate  from  them  in 
every  direction,  as  the  rays  from  the  sun.  These 
radiating  nerves  control  the  action  of  the  ab- 
dominal organs. 

The  action  of  the  sympathetic  nervous  sys- 
tem is  not  yet  thoroughly  understood,  but,  un- 
like the  other  nervous  system,  it  is  not  under 
the  control  of  the  will.  It  acts  in  its  own  pe- 
culiar way — is  not  hampered  by  the  will  or 
interfered  with  by  any  caprice  of  the  individual. 
It  cannot  think.  It  can  scarcely  feel,  though 
experiments  show  there  is  slight  sensation  in  it. 


The  Sympathetic  Nervous  System.      31 

It  knows  nothing  that  is  going  on  in  the  world ; 
it  probably  knows  nothing  of  what  is  going  on 
in  the  body,  and  yet  it  has  control  of  the  most 
important  functions  of  organic  life.  It  hastens, 
retards,  increases  or  diminishes  the  supply  of 
blood  to  any  organ  or  part;  thus  providing 
for  secretion,  excretion  and  the  maintenance  of 
heat. 

The  action  of  the  sympathetic  nervous  sys- 
tem is  bIow.  It  takes  time  for  it  to  respond 
to  any  nervous  stimulus.  In  this  respect  it  dif- 
fers from  the  other  system,  which  responds  at 
once  to  any  excitement.  Once  excited,  how- 
ever, its  action  is  uniform  and  regular.  The 
peristaltic  action  of  the  bowels,  for  instance,  is 
under  the  control  of  the  sympathetic  system, 
and  the  movement  is  slow  and  continuous. 
This  slowness  of  action  may  be  seen  in  another 
way.  When  a  person  has  been  exposed  to  cold 
and  wet,  the  brain,  or  cerebro-spinal  system,  re- 
cognizes it  at  once  ;  but  the  pleurisy,  which  may 
result  from  this  exposure,  is  regulated  by  the 
sympathetic  nervous  system  ;  and  this  does  not 
appear  at  once  :  it  may  be  hours  or  days  before 
we  are  sick.  So,  too,  the  recuperation  from  an 
attack  of  sickness  is  largely  under  the  manage- 


32       The  Sympathetic  Nervous  System. 

ment  of  this  system,  and  so  it  requires  days,  weeks, 
months,  and  perhaps  years,  for  a  person  to  re- 
cover from  a  serious  illness.  For  this  reason, 
when  we  are  warned  by  uneasy  sensations  that 
there  is  danger  in  exposure  to  wind,  rain,  snow 
and  wet,  we  should  avoid  them. 

The  sympathetic  nervous  system  is  differ- 
ently developed  in  different  people.  In  the 
thin,  poorly-nourished  dyspeptic  it  is  generally 
deficiently  developed.  In  the  person  of  sanguine 
temperament,  ruddy  face,  and  round,  plump  and 
healthy  body,  these  nerves  are  well  developed, 
and  they  keep  the  body  well  nourished  by  send- 
ing plenty  of  blood  to  the  tissues,  even  though 
the  brain  may  suffer  for  it.  When  this  system 
is  strong  one  recovers  from  sickness  rapidly — 
recovers  from  fatigue  in  a  short  time. 

There  should  be  a  harmony  of  development 
between  the  two  nervous  systems.  Then  they 
help  each  other,  and  make  a  round,  complete 
character ;  but  this  is  not  always  the  case,  for 
where  the  cerebro-spinal  predominates  it  is  apt 
to  rob  the  sympathetic  of  nourishment,  so  that 
sleep  is  not  perfect  and  nutrition  is  incomplete. 
From  such  a  condition  of  things  come  nervous 
exhaustion,  depression  of  spirits  and  melancholy. 


The  Sympathetic  Nervous  System.      33 

On  the  other  hand,  when  the  sympathetic 
system  predominates,  there  is  too  much  nutri- 
tion and  growth  of  body,  but  not  enough  mental 
and  muscular  activity.  All  should  strive  to 
maintain  a  harmony  of  development  between 
these  nerves,  and  never  tax  both  powerfully  at 
the  same  time — as  would  be  done  in  using  the 
brain  vigorously  just  after  a  hearty  meal.  In 
such  a  case  the  sympathetic  system  would  be 
robbed  of  blood,  and  digestion  rendered  im- 
perfect. 


CHAPTER  Y. 
How  the  Nerves  Act. 

In  the  preceding  chapters  a  general  view  of 
the  nervous  system  has  been  given.  We  have 
seen  that  it  consists  of  a  brain  and  nerve-centers, 
a  spinal  cord,  and  different  nerves  for  communi- 
cating with  all  parts  of  the  body.  We  have  also 
seen  that  there  is  a  sympathetic  nervous  system, 
having  control  of  the  function  of  growth  and 
repair,  or  of  organic  life.  With  this  knowledge 
in  view,  let  us  see  if  we  can  find  out  how  it 
is  that  nervous  action  takes  place.  We  will 
not  enter  into  a  long  and  elaborate  discus- 
sion of  the  subject.  It  is  too  intricate  for  this 
place.  Still,  a  simple  statement  will  aid  us 
when  we  come  to  discuss  the  management  of  the 
nerves  and  the  cure  of  nervous  disorders.  Let 
any  person  survey  his  own  sensations  for  an  hour, 


How  the  Nerves  Act.  35 

and  find  out,  if  he  can,  in  what  they  consist. 
You  are  pricked  with  a  pin  hidden  somewhere 
in  your  clothing.  It  is  a  very  simple  thing. 
The  sharp  point  impinges  itself  against  a  nerve 
— perhaps  lacerates  or  irritates  it.  Now  how 
do  the  nerves  act  ?  They  have  no  voice ;  they 
cannot  speak;  hut  only  act  in  their  own  way. 
They  can  feel.  A  limited,  wholesome  amount 
of  feeling  is  pleasurable,  but  an  excess  of  it  is 
painful.  Now  what  are  the  phenomena.  The 
brain  takes  cognizance  of  the  pain  caused  by  the 
pin,  finds  out  where  it  is,  and  the  hand  removes 
it.  How  did  the  news  of  the  pricking  reach  the 
brain  ?  How  did  the  command  of  the  brain  to 
Bet  the  muscles  to  work  reach  into  the  arms  and 
hands  ?  Let  us  see  if  it  can  be  made  clear :  The 
nerve-cells,  lacerated  by  the  pin,  contain  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  nutriment — digested  and  elabo- 
rated food — in  a  condition  of  what  is  called  un- 
stable equilibrium — that  is  to  say,  the  slightest 
disturbance  causes  it  to  explode,  as  powder  does 
in  a  gun  by  the  fall  of  the  hammer  on  the  de- 
tonating cap.  This  explosion  generates  force, 
molecular  movement,  which  is  conveyed  along 
the  nerve  till  it  comes  to  another  larger  nerve- 
cell,  or  collection  of  cells,  called  a  ganglion,  con- 


36  How  the  Nerves  Act. 

taining  more  matter  in  unstable  equilibrium, 
which  again,  so  to  say,  explodes,  generating 
more  force  ;  and  the  little  disturbance  starting 
in  the  nerves  of  the  skin  travels  to  the  brain  at 
the  rate  of  thirty  feet  per  second.  Reaching  the 
brain,  which  is  a  large  center  stored  with  nutri- 
ment easily  disturbed,  a  certain  amount  is  again 
exploded,  generating  force  sufficient  to  set  the 
will  in  motion,  and  flowing  along  the  nerves  to 
the  muscles  sets  a  sufficient  number  of  them  in 
motion  to  remove  the  pin.  Or  we  may  explain 
the  action  in  another  way  :  You  are  standing  on 
a  street  corner,  waiting  for  an  omnibus.  It  ap- 
proaches. You  lift  your  hand,  a  very  simple 
thing  to  do,  and  the  driver  sets  his  whole  frame 
in  motion  to  stop  his  horses  and  omnibus,  that 
you  may  get  inside.  How  can  so  slight  a  move- 
ment of  your  arm  produce  such  results  on  the 
nervous  system  of  another  ?  Thus :  A  ray  of 
light  reflected  from  your  hand  struck  very  gently 
on  the  sensitive  retina  of  his  eye.  This  retina  is 
composed,  among  other  things,  of  cones  of  nerv- 
ous matter  containing  nutriment  ready  to  ex- 
plode on  the  application  of  a  ray  of  light,  and 
the  force  generated  by  the  explosion  traveling 
like  a  wave  up  the  nerve  to  the  brain,  where 


Conditions  of  Healthy  JVervous  Action.  37 

more  nervous  matter  explodes,  and  motion  is 
generated,  which  sets  the  whole  nervous  and 
muscular  system  of  the  driver  in  action  and 
produces  the  desired  result.  Or  take  another 
case  :  A  sudden,  startling  noise  strikes  your  ear, 
and  you  jump,  perhaps  you  shriek.  It  is  only 
an  explosion  of  nervous  substance.  If  we  could 
see  the  action  of  the  nerves  we  should  find  that 
life  is  a  continual  explosion  of  nerve  material. 
You  sit  quietly  in  your  seat  at  the  opera,  and  the 
vibrations  of  the  air  caused  by  the  instruments 
and  voices  of  the  musicians  striking  on  the 
nerves  of  the  ear  keep  up  a  series  of  explosions 
in  the  brain  in  the  form  of  delightful  sensations  of 
music.  Thus  through  the  nerves  of  the  ear,  eye, 
mouth,  nose  and  skin  come  from  without  multitu- 
dinous causes  of  nervous  action.  Could  anything 
be  more  beautiful,  more  wonderful?  revealing  the 
creative  power  in  a  universe  which  never  sleeps. 

CONDITIONS    OF    HEALTHY    NERVOUS    ACTION. 

The  first  requisite  to  normal  and  vigorous 
nervous  action  is  good  digestion,  in  order  to 
supply  the  nerves  with  abundant  and  rich  blood, 
from  which  power  may  be  obtained. 

The  next  necessity  is  that  the  blood  be  equally 


38  How  the  Nerves  Act. 

distributed  to  the  nervous  apparatus,  and  those 
organs  that  transform  its  latent  force  into  sen- 
sible force. 

Still  another  condition  of  healthy  nervous 
action  is  that  the  blood  be  well  supplied  with 
oxygen. 

It  is  also  necessary  that  it  be  not  loaded  with 
the  products  of  decomposition,  which  choke  the 
play  of  the  organs  as  ashes  choke  the  burning  of 
the  fire  in  a  grate.  This  is  secured  by  a 
healthy  action  of  the  skin,  lungs,  kidneys  and 
bowels. 

Nerve  substance  does  not  bear  pressure  well. 
Pressure  on  the  brain  6tops  its  action ;  pressure 
on  a  nerve  trunk  modifies  or  even  prevents  its 
action  altogether;  pressure  on  the  large  nerve 
of  any  limb  so  alters  its  conducting  power  as  to 
cause  it  to  be  sensibly  observed  in  a  feeling  of 
numbness. 

Another  condition  of  vigorous  nervous  action 
is  a  normal  degree  of  bodily  heat.  This  may  be 
shown  in  many  ways.  The  amount  of  nervous 
activity  in  a  cold-blooded  animal  is  less  than  in 
a  warm-blooded  one ;  but  when  the  cold-blooded 
creature  is  warmed  by  heat  its  nervous  force  is 
increased :  and  as  cold  weather  approaches  and 


Conditions  of  Healthy  Nervous  Action.  39 

the  temperature  of  the  body  diminishes,  the  cold- 
blooded creature  stops  generating  nerve  force 
almost  entirely,  and  hibernates  till  heat  sets  its 
blood  in  motion  again,  and  permits  the  generation 
of  nervous  force  once  more.  So  in  warm-blooded 
animals  (in  man,  for  instance),  if  the  bodily  tem- 
perature is  lowered  to  a  certain  point,  as  is  the 
case  in  exposure  to  severe,  loug-continued  cold 
without  food,  the  generation  of  nervous  force  is 
diminished,  and  ceases  altogether;  the  person 
becomes  drowsy,  unable  to  keep  himself  awake, 
and,  if  not  speedily  rescued,  dies. 

It  has  already  been  remarked  that  an  abund- 
ant supply  of  good  blood  is  essential  to  healthy 
nervous  action.  General  bloodlessness  is  a  prin- 
cipal cause  of  inactivity  of  the  nervous  sys- 
tem. Temporary  loss  of  blood  causes  fainting 
and  suspension  of  nervous  activity  in  the  brain. 
If  the  blood  is  deficient  for  any  length  of  time, 
the  nervous  explosions  of  which  we  have  spoken 
are  feeble  and  infrequent.  If  the  heart  is  feeble 
and  unable  to  supply  the  brain  and  extremities 
with  blood,  nervous  action  is  limited.  Aneurism 
of  an  artery  which  prevents  the  blood  from  cir- 
culating freely  produces  the  same  effect,  and 
when  a  clot  of  blood  plugs  up  an  artery  it  may 


40  How  the  Nerves  Act. 

cause  paralysis  of  the  brain  or  any  part  of  the 
body.  Notice,  also,  when  the  hands  become 
very  cold,  and  the  supply  of  blood  is  deficient  in 
them,  how  stiff  they  are,  and  how  difficult  it  is 
for  them  to  obey  the  commands  of  the  will.  Not 
only  must  the  blood  be  abundant,  but  it  must  be 
rich.  Poor  blood  will  not  supply  the  nerves 
with  the  material  for  generating  nerve  force.  It 
must  contain  those  substances  which  they  can 
use.  Oxygen  must  be  abundant,  and  the  car- 
bonic acid  must  be  carried  off  as  fast  as  gen- 
erated. Urea,  if  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
blood,  will  alone  put  an  end  to  healthy  nervous 
action. 

Last  of  all,  the  nerves  themselves  must  be 
sound  and  healthy.  They  must  be  continuous  in 
their  substance.  A  nerve  which  has  been  cut 
can  no  more  convey  nervous  impressions  than  a 
telegraph  wire  which  has  been  broken  can  be 
made  to  convey  a  message.  Also  a  brain  which 
has  been  wounded  or  injured  by  overwork,  by 
excesses  of  any  kind,  by  intemperance  in  eating 
or  drinking,  by  unnatural  stimulation  and  the  use 
of  narcotics,  will  neither  generate  nor  distribute 
nervous  energy  in  an  abundant  and  healthful 
manner. 


CHAPTEK  VI. 
Has  Nervous  Activity  Any  Limit? 

In  this  chapter  we  ask,  and  shall  try  to  an- 
swer, the  question,  Is  there  a  limit  to  nervous 
action  V  There  is  a  general  belief  current,  even 
among  scholars,  that  a  man  may  go  on  acquiring 
knowledge  as  long  as  life  and  health  remain,  if 
he  will  only  make  all  the  application  in  his 
power.  It  is,  perhaps,  unfortunate  for  us  that 
this  is  not  so ;  but  it  is  not,  and  we  might  as 
well  know  it  first  as  last.  There  is  a  limit  to 
the  power  of  the  brain  to  act,  and  there  is  a 
limit  to  our  acquiring  power  ;  and  this  is  largely 
determined  by  the  amount  of  nervous  substance 
one  possesses,  or,  in  other  words,  by  the  size  of 
the  brain.  There  are  some  subjects  none  can 
become  proficient  in,  and  even  in  those  in  which 
we  are  most  skillful  we  forget  easily  what  has 


42     Has  Nervous  Activity  Any  Limit? 

been  acquired,  unless  we  constantly  review  our 
acquisitions. 

We  all  find  there  is  a  limit  to  our  power 
of  physical  endurance.  Athletes  find  there  is  a 
limit  beyond  which  training  must  not  be  carried, 
or  it  will  cause  weakness  rather  than  strength. 
Their  best  performances  are  limited  quantities, 
which  cannot  be  increased.  Sportsmen  find 
there  is  a  limit  to  the  speed  of  their  best  horses. 
Beyond  a  certain  speed  none  can  go.  In  the 
Lifting  Cure  we  find  the  patient  when  he  begins 
is  able  to  increase  his  strength,  perhaps,  five 
pounds  a  day,  and  this  goes  on  maybe  for 
weeks.  Then  comes  a  time  when  one  pound  is 
as  much  as  can  be  added  to  the  previous  day's 
weight,  and  finally  he  reaches  a  point  beyond 
which  he  cannot  go  with  safety. 

It  is  the  same  with  our  nervous  systems. 
The  schoolboy  and  the  schoolgirl  find  this  out 
before  they  have  studied  long.  They  know  there 
are  some  problems  in  mathematics  they  cannot 
solve,  and  some  one  boy  can  solve  and  another 
can  not.  The  young,  strong  and  ambitious  often 
rebel  at  this,  and  struggle  against  it,  hoping,  be- 
lieving that  they  only  lack  courage ;  but  in  the 
end  they  all  find  their  limit,  their  vanity  takes 


Has  Nervous  Activity  Any  Limit  f     43 

a  back  seat  and  they  labor  in  their  sphere,  doing 
such  work  as  Nature  has  rendered  suitable  to 
their  abilities. 

The  comparative  ability  of  men  is  also  an 
interesting  subject.  Between  the  extremes  of 
intellectual  strength  and  weakness  there  is  a 
great  distance.  Even  in  physical  strength  this 
is  true.  One  man  may  be  forty  times  as  strong 
as  another  in  his  muscles.  The  greatest  weight 
which  can  be  lifted  by  one  person  in  the  Lifting 
Cure  may  be  only  forty  pounds,  while  the  heavi- 
est by  another  has  been  over  twelve  hundred 
pounds.  Now  forty  is  contained  in  twelve  hun- 
dred thirty  times.  There  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  difference  in  the  mental  power 
of  different  persons  may  be  far  greater  than  the 
difference  in  their  physical  power.  We  have 
not,  however,  the  same  accurate  means  of  de- 
termining this  difference.  Galton  has  shown,  in 
his  admirable  work  on  "Hereditary  Genius," 
that  among  the  wranglers  at  Cambridge  for  the 
highest  honors  the  lowest  number  of  marks  is 
often  thirty  times  less  than  the  highest.  Now  as 
the  wranglers  are  picked  men,  the  difference  in 
mental  power  between  the  best  wrangler  and  the 
intellectually  weakest  man  in  Cambridge  is  much 


44:     Has  Nervous  Activity  Any  Limit? 

more  than  thirty  times,  it  may  be  sixty,  or  even 
one  hundred,  times.  If  we  measure  man's  men- 
tal power  by  his  ability  to  acquire  knowledge, 
then  one  man  may,  for  aught  we  know,  have  one 
thousand  times  as  much  strength  as  another  man. 
If  we  measure  it  by  his  power  to  originate  ideas 
and  produce  original  thought,  then  the  difference 
is  equally  great.  Estimate  the  difference  be- 
tween Daniel  Webster  and  the  smallest  pettifog- 
ging lawyer  in  the  country,  and  we  find  the 
difference  between  them  immenseo 

In  order  to  apply  hygienic  law  to  the  brain 
and  nerves  we  must  know  the  limit  of  mental 
power.  If  we  think  there  is  no  limit,  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  do  harm.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  know  the  extent  of  our  powers,  we  can  work 
within  such  limitations  as  are  safe. 

There  comes  also  a  time  when  knowledge 
decays  in  our  brains,  and  we  forget  what  we 
once  knew  well.  This  may  be  caused  by  weak- 
ness, or  deficiency  of  brain  substance.  All  our 
powers  are  required  to  retain  what  knowledge 
we  have,  and  if  we  acquire  more  we  must  forget 
something  we  already  know.  We  lose  at  one  end 
as  much  as  we  gain  at  the  other.  There  is  not 
room  in  the  brain  for  all  knowledge,  and  the  hy- 


Has  Nervous  Activity  Any  .Limit?     45 

gjiene  of  the  nervous  system  demands  that  we  do 
not  burden  ourselves  with  .that  which  is  useless. 
It  requires  quite  as  many  brain  cells  to  acquire 
and  retain  useless  as  useful  knowledge,  a  good  as 
a  bad  thought.  If  this  was  understood  by  pa- 
rents and  educators,  much  time  might  be  saved 
and  the  value  of  life  increased;  for  our  brain 
substance  would  be  reserved  for  only  the  best 
thoughts,  as  the  wise  farmer  reserves  his  best 
soil  for  the  most  useful  crops.  A  soil  first 
occupied  by  weeds  is  never  so  good  afterward 
as  if  the  first  crop  had  been  a  useful  plant. 
A  brain  once  occupied  by  a  great  vice  is  never 
quite  so  safe  as  the  brain  which  has  been  trained 
in  the  acquisition  of  useful  knowledge. 

The  health  of  the  nervous  6ystem  is  greatly 
benefited  by  a  strong  will  and  by  good  judgment ; 
persons  with  these  possessions  may  never  become 
geniuses,  but  they  will  become  reliable  citizens, 
in  whom  we  may  place  confidence.  Great  genius 
is  a  nervous  disease.  It  can  only  exist  where  all 
the  nervous  tissue  is  occupied  with  one  class  of 
thoughts  to  the  exclusion  of  another  class,  both  of 
which  are  necessary  to  mental  health. 


CHAPTER  YIL 

Nervous  Exhaustion. 

The  word  "  exhaustion "  is  significant,  and 
easily  understood.  It  comes  from  two  words — 
exy  out ;  and  hourire,  to  draw.  Put  together,  of 
course  we  have  exhaustion :  to  draw  out,  to  drain 
off,  till  nothing  is  left.  We  exhaust  the  water  in 
a  well  by  drawing  it  out,  by  pumping  it  dry. 
We  exhaust  our  forests  by  cutting  them  down. 
We  exhaust  our  resources  by  extravagant  living. 
We  become  physically  exhausted  by  excessive 
labor,  strain,  dissipation.  Physical  exhaustion 
has  reference  to  the  whole  body,  including  the 
nerves.  The  power  of  the  stomach  may  be  ex- 
hausted, causing  dyspepsia.  The  power  of  the 
muscles  may  be  exhausted,  causing  physical 
weakness  and  inability  to  walk,  to  lift  any  weight 
or  to  perform  any  physical  labor.     The  muscles 


Nervous  Exhaustion.  47 

may  be  exhausted  in  several  ways  :  they  may  be 
exhausted  by  excessive  labor,  by  inability  of  the 
stomach  to  digest  food  from  which  blood  is  de- 
rived, by  fevers  and  various  diseases,  by  great 
strain,  by  inability  of  the  brain  to  supply  nerve 
force.  The  brain  and  nerves  may  be  exhausted 
in  the  same  way.  Exhaustion  may  be  temporary 
or  permanent ;  a  day's  labor  may  cause  tempo- 
rary exhaustion.  There  is  a  temporary  loss  of 
nervous  tissue  and  nervous  supply,  but  a  good 
night's  rest,  with  appropriate  food,  restores  it. 
Permanent  exhaustion  comes  from  the  destroy- 
ing of  the  source  of  nervous  supply,  or  the  per- 
manent injury  of  the  nerves  themselves.  This 
will  be  made  clear  by  a  comparison  of  the  nerv- 
ous system  to  the  old-fashioned  saw-mill,  located 
on  a  small  stream  of  water  on  the  border  of  a 
wood.  A  dam  across  the  stream,  uniting  the 
opposite  banks,  stops  the  water  in  its  course,  and 
it  backs  up  and  fills  the  banks  till  the  water 
overflows.  Now  the  accumulated  water  is  turned 
through  a  sluice  onto  the  wheel,  the  mill  is  set  in 
operation  and  does  the  work  of  hundreds  of  men. 
An  insufficient  rain,  or  a  failure  of  the  swamps 
and  springs,  exhausts  the  water  supply,  and  the 
mill  stops  till  the  water  accumulates  to  fill  the 


48  Nervous  Exhaustion. 

reservoir  again,  when  the  mill  moves  on  once 
more.  If  the  supply  is  only  temporarily  cut  off, 
the  delay  of  work  is  temporary  ;  if  permanently 
cut  off,  the  mill  cannot  be  advantageously  used, 
and  is  taken  down,  or  a  steam-engine  is  put  in 
and  motive  force  is  manufactured  by  means  of 
fire  and  water,  which  are  more  under  human 
control  than  the  fall  of  the  rain.  The  nervous 
system  is  very  much  like  a  machine.  It  must 
have  its  daily  and  hourly  supply  of  force,  to 
keep  it  in  action.  We  take  better  care  of 
our  machinery  and  tools  than  we  do  of  our 
bodies.  We  often  treat  ourselves  as  if  we  were 
worth  less  than  our  horses,  our  dogs,  our  axes 
and  saws,  which  cost  us  little,  and  which,  even 
without  care,  may  last  a  lifetime. 

The  victims  of  nervous  exhaustion  are  numer- 
ous. They  meet  us  at  every  turn.  Their  variety 
is  numberless.  There  is  the  mother,  exhausted 
with  child-bearing  and  the  care  of  the  household, 
by  sleepless  nights  and  the  insufficient  digestion 
and  assimilation  of  food.  There  is  the  woman 
of  fashion,  whose  beauty  has  faded  and  whose 
charms  are  gone.  The  demands  of  society  have 
robbed  her  of  health,  and  she  is  now  a  wreck 
both    mentally   and   physically.      There  is   the 


Nervous  Exhaustion.  49 

hypochondriac,  whose  gloomy  views  of  life, 
whose  depression  of  spirits,  whose  mental  debil- 
ity, whose  indisposition  to  activity,  are  a  source 
of  constant  pain  to  himself  and  his  friends. 
There  is  the  melancholy  one,  whose  dejected 
spirits  and  cast-down  manner,  whose  mental 
alienation  and  dismal  condition,  lowers  the  hap- 
piness of  all  who  come  in  contact  with  him. 
Then  there  is  the  victim  of  sexual  excesses, 
whose  nervous  state  often  borders  on,  and  runs 
into,  insanity :  he  suffers  pangs  of  torture  un- 
known in  almost  any  other  disease.  We  might 
add  to  this  list  nervous  exhaustion  from  excessive 
care,  great  anxiety,  overstrain,  business  ventures 
which  turn  out  badly.  All  these  are  easily  re- 
cognized. There  are  also  other  milder  forms  of 
exhaustion  not  causing  hypochondria,  melan- 
cholia, or  mental  agony,  but  leaving  the  patient 
more  or  less  depressed  and  unhappy,  as  when 
there  is  irritability,  fretfulness,  and  a  disposition 
to  criticise,  to  find  fault,  to  scold,  to  become 
peevish,  to  become  easily  offended,  to  become 
excited  on  trivial  occasions,  to  magnify  trifles, 
to  cry  easily,  to  get  angry  and  fly  into  a  passion 
without  a  cause,  to  sleep  poorly,  to  be  dainty 
about  food,   to   be   unable  to  keep  the  mind  on 


50  Nervous  Exhaustion. 

one  thing,  but  to  let  it  run  from  one  subject  to 
another,  to  be  unable  to  hold  a  steady  hand,  or 
speak  connectedly  on  any  topic,  even  inability 
to  utter  a  sentence  logically  and  coherently. 
These,  and  many  more  symptoms,  are  often  the 
result  of  a  weakened  condition  of  the  nervous 
system — in  short,  a  mild  form  of  nervous  ex- 
haustion. 

Many  do  not  recognize  these  forms  of  mental 
obliquity  as  diseases,  but  as  moral  defects,  and 
treat  them  by  censure.  They  should  be  recog- 
nized as  physical  diseases,  and  treated  by  hy- 
giene. Children  often  receive  unjust  treatment 
from  parents  for  nervousness  when  they  should 
receive  medical  or  hygienic  treatment. 

These  nervous  evils  endanger  the  prosperity 
and  mental  character  of  the  race.  Their  capa- 
bility of  being  propagated  is  very  great.  The 
offspring  of  nervously  exhausted  parents  are 
pretty  sure  to  possess  the  same  traits  in  an  in- 
creased degree.  Moderation,  and  a  pleased, 
happy  state,  are  the  normal  conditions  of  the 
human  mind.  Nervousness,  indeed  all  nervous 
disorders,  so  to  say,  distort  the  harmony  of  life, 
hinder  the  haste  which  they  generate,  put  an  end 
to  contemplation,  and  act  in  an  unfriendly  man- 


Nervous  Exhaustion.  51 

ner  upon  the  normal  processes  of  life.  Where 
nervousness  dwells  bodily  soundness  of  the  indi- 
vidual cannot  prevail ;  but  liability  to  extremes 
of  action  and  reaction  is  pretty  sure  to  be  pres- 
ent. The  person  is  now  on  the  heights,  now  in 
the  depths ;  now  joyous,  now  so  miserable  and 
unhappy  that  he  thinks  he  never  had  a  pleasant 
moment  in  his  life,  and  he  never  hopes  for  one 
in  the  future. 

The  causes  of  nervous  exhaustion  may  be 
summed  up  in  the  following  general  heads : 

1.  They  are  inherited. 

2.  They  arise  from  defective  nutrition. 

3.  From  overstrain. 

4.  From  the  use  of  stimulants. 

5.  From  insufficient  sleep. 

6.  From  indulgence  in  vice  and  passion. 

7.  From  scrofula. 

8.  From  anything  that  deteriorates  the  phys- 
ical constitution  and  lowers  the  health  of  the 
body. 

These  causes,  singly  or  united,  bring  about  a 
sort  of  nervous  bankruptcy  of  the  individual. 
As  has  been  said  before,  the  normal  activity  of 
the  nervous  system  is  dependent  on  rich,  healthy 
blood.    Nervously  exhausted  people  usually  have 


52  Nervous  Exhaustion. 

thin,  poor  blood.  It  is  deficient  in  fibrin  and 
blood  corpuscles.  There  is  not  force  enough 
stored  up  in  it  to  keep  the  wheels  of  life  in  a 
high  state  of  activity,  and  so  they  move  slowly, 
feebly,  painfully,  or  hardly  at  all. 

In  our  age  nervous  exhaustion  is  in  the  as- 
cendant. It  crops  out  in  every  direction.  Our 
hothouse  education  promotes  it,  by  cultivating 
the  mind  at  the  expense  of  the  body.  Our  sed- 
entary ways  of  living  promote  it.  Our  haste  to 
get  rich,  our  risks  in  business,  our  anxieties, 
our  cares,  all  help  to  bring  on  nervous  exhaus- 
tion. Only  the  prudent  and  well  organized  es- 
cape, and  even  these  are  sometimes  engulfed  by  the 
stupidity  and  treachery  of  others.  It  is  time  for 
us  to  consider  this  matter  in  the  light  of  science 
and  common-sense,  and  see  if  something  cannot 
be  done  to  relieve  our  generation  from  the  curse 
of  nervous  exhaustion,  and  show  people  how  to 
conduct  their  lives  so  th^t  peace  and  serenity 
shall  take  the  place  of  haste  and  excitement,  and 
all  their  attending  evils.  In  another  chapter  we 
shall  point  out  some  of  the  remedies  which  have 
been  found  most  useful  n  cases  of  nervous  ex- 
haustion. 


CHAPTEK  Yin. 

How  to  Cure  Nervousness. 

To  lay  down  broad  rules  and  general  prin- 
ciples for  the  treatment  and  cure  of  nervousness 
is  by  no  means  an  easy  task.  However,  "  a 
stout  heart  to  a  stiff  brae,"  as  they  say  in  canny 
Scotland,  and  we  have  at  least  a  guiding  hope 
that  this  chapter  may  be  read  with  interest  by 
very  many  persons,  and  prove  beneficial  to  not 
a  few. 

Those  who  suffer  from  nervousness — and  their 
name  is  legion — have  our  sincerest  sympathy  and 
pity,  and  they  know  that  they  are  but  little  ac- 
customed to  either  from  the  too  cold-hearted 
world.  It  is  characteristic  of  poor  human  nature 
to  pity  only  that  suffering  which  can  be  seen, 
and  those  who  to  all  outward  appearances  are 
hale,  healthy  and  strong,  yet  who  know  and  feel 


54:  How  to  Cure  Nervousness. 

that  they  are  not  as  others  are,  must  as  a  rule 
brood  over  their  sufferings  in  the  silence  of  their 
own  heavy  hearts,  until  they  make  up  their 
minds  they  will  work  out  their  own  salvation. 

"  There  can't  be  much  the  matter  with  you, 
at  all  events."  Do  we  not  hear  this  sentence 
made  daily  use  of  toward  some  one  who  com- 
plains without  apparent  cause.  Would  those 
who  make  this  unfeeling  remark  be  surprised  to 
learn  that  a  man  may  be  to  all  appearances 
strong — nay,  he  may  even  be,  so  far  as  muscular 
power  is  concerned,  vigorous  and  capable  of  pro- 
longed physical  exercise,  while  he  is  at  the  same 
time  suffering  from  nervous  disorders  which 
make  his  existence  a  wearisome  burden  to  him, 
and  shorten  his  life. 

In  the  human  body  there  are,  as  already 
stated,  two  distinct  nervous  systems.  The  brain 
and  spinal  cord  are  the  centers  of  one  set,  viz  , 
the  set  of  animal  life,  which  are  distributed  to 
the  various  muscles  of  the  body  and  to  the  skin. 
Any  one  of  these  nerves  may  be  described  as  a 
filament  or  thread,  or  prolongation  of  the  brain 
itself,  thickest  where  it  joins  the  brain  or  spinal 
column,  and  all  along  its  lower  course  dividing 
and  subdividing  into  smaller  and  smaller  bunches 


How  to  Cure  Nervousness.  55 

until  the  minutest  and  most  remote  muscular 
fiber  and  the  smallest  speck  of  skin  are  supplied 
with  a  loop  or  filament  of  nervous  matter.  Judge 
of  the  size  and  fineness  of  these  when  we  tell 
you  that  you  cannot  prick  the  skin  or  flesh  with 
the  point  of  the  finest  needle  without  piercing 
one  or  many  of  them.  One  cannot  think  for  a 
moment  of  the  delicate  and  intricate  machinery 
of  the  nervous  system  without  exclaiming  to 
himself,  "  How  fearfully  and  wonderfully  are  we 
made  !"  The  nerve  tubes  themselves,  which  are 
the  chief  components  of  nervous  and  brain  mat- 
ter, vary  in  size  from  one-24,000th  up  to  one- 
1,200th  part  of  an  inch,  and  the  nerve  cells  from 
one-8, 000th  to  one-200th  part  of  an  inch  in  di- 
ameter. Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  nervous  sys- 
tem should  be  easily  and  often  put  out  of  order. 
There  are  two  sets  of  nervous  filaments  bound 
up  together  in  the  same  sheath  to  form  each 
nerve,  just  as  two  sets  of  telegraphic  wires  might 
be  bound  together,  isolated  and  placed  in  the 
same  tube.  The  one  set  of  nerve  filaments  is 
called  the  motor,  and  they  carry  the  will  from 
the  brain  to  the  muscles  you  propose  to  call  into 
action. 

I  "  will "  to  dip  my  pen  in  the  ink,  and  the 


56  How  to  Cure  Nervousness. 

will  is  carried  downward  by  the  motor  filaments 
of  the  nerves  of  my  arm,  and  brings  into  play 
the  muscles  which  move  the  extremities  toward 
the  inkstand,  and  here,  in  writing,  the  eye  plays 
no  unimportant  part :  to  wit,  I  have  forgotten  to 
dot  that  last  i.  The  omission  is  painted  on  the 
retina  of  my  eye,  the  nerves  of  the  retina  communi- 
cate with  the  brain,  and  the  brain,  well  knowing 
what  printers  are,  sends  instant  orders  to  fingers 
to  correct  the  omission.  The  other  set  of  nerve 
filaments  take  cognizance  of  the  sensations  of 
skin  and  muscles.  They  are  called  excitor  fila- 
ments, because  they  excite  the  brain  to  action. 
To  give  a  common  example  :  You  slip  out  of  bed 
some  morning  and  tread  on  what  is  sometimes 
called  the  business  end  of  a  carpet-tack.  The 
nature  of  the  accident  is  at  once  telegraphed  to 
the  brain  through  the  excitor  filaments,  and  the 
order  to  lift  the  foot  is  sent  back  by  the  motor 
filaments.  But  until  that  message  goes  and  the 
other  comes,  you  are  powerless  to  move  your 
foot.  It  is  a  sort  of  telegraphic  work,  and  the 
brain  is  the  head  office.  Take  another  illustra- 
tion :  A  whale  in  the  Arctic  ocean  is  pierced 
in  the  tail  with  a  harpoon.  The  tail  sends  word 
to  the  brain,  "  I  am  struck  with  a  harpoon,"  and 


How  to  Cure  Nervousness.  57 

at  once  the  brain,  on  receiving  this  message,  if 
the  whale  is  wise  and  able,  sends  back  word, 
"  Strike  and  capsize  the  boat,"  or,  what  is  more 
likely,  "Swim  out  of  the  way";  whatever  order 
comes  back  the  tail  tries  to  execute. 

The  other  system  of  nerves  is  also  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  the  animal  economy. 
These  are  called  the  nerves  of  organic  or  vege- 
tative life.  Lying  in  front  of  the  spinal  column 
is  the  chain  of  ganglia  or  nerve-knots.  They 
communicate  with  other  ganglia  among  the  in- 
testines, and  with  the  spinal  cord.  From  these 
ganglia  proceed  the  nerves  which  are  distributed 
to  the  internal  organs  of  the  body,  heart,  liver, 
stomach,  etc.,  and  to  the  blood-vessels,  also. 

Although  this  second  system  of  nerves  is 
connected  with  the  first,  and  to  a  certain  extent 
sympathizes  with  them,  its  action  is  beyond  the 
control  of  our  wills.  The  ganglia  from  which 
they  arise  are,  so  to  say,  each  little  frames  them- 
selves, little  Ley  den  jars  filled  with  the  electricity 
of  life  itself.  Now,  if  this  system  be  weakened, 
we  can  easily  understand  how  a  man  or  woman 
may  be  ill  and  nervous  and  not  show  it  much 
outwardly,  for  the  two  sets  of  nerves  are  to  a 
great  extent   independent   of  each  other.     "We 


58  How  to  Cure  Nervousness. 

have,  indeed,  as  the  immortal  Bichat  well  says, 
"  two  lives,  an  organic  or  vegetative,  and  an  ani- 
mal life." 

It  is  on  account  of  some  defect  in  the  former 
life,  the  organic  man,  that  the  largest  number  of 
persons  suffer  from  nervousness ;  and  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  be  able  to  tell  those  sufferers  that  a  ma- 
jority of  them  can  be  cured. 

We  will  now  explain  the  causes  and  pathol- 
ogy of  nervousness,  and  its  general  symptoms ; 
when  the  reader  will  be  able  to  understand  the 
rationale  of  treatment. 

Nature  moves  in  a  mysterious  way  her  won- 
ders to  perform.  Chemically,  brain  matter  con- 
sists of  water,  fat,  albumen,  ozmazone,  and  phos- 
phorus; but  the  inner  workings  of  the  nerves, 
the  mystery  of  the  nervous  fluid,  are  hidden  from 
mortal  man,  and  science  has  not  yet  lifted  the 
vail  that  enshrouds  them.  One  thing  we  know, 
however,  as  the  blood,  rich  or  poor,  pure  or  im- 
pure, that  supplies  the  nerves,  is,  so  will  the 
nervous  power  be.  Again,  if  the  nervous  power 
be  small,  the  heart  itself  being  regulated  by  that 
power,  it  naturally  follows  that  this  organ  acts 
feebly  and  irregularly,  and  the  blood  is  not  cir- 


How  to  Cure  Nervousness.  59 

culated  sufficiently  to  nourish  the  nerves;  so 
they,  so  to  speak,  6tarve. 

Seeing  that  the  nerves  must  be  supplied  with 
pure  blood  in  proper  quantity  to  enable  them  to 
do  their  duty,  can  we  wonder  if  neglect  of  the 
common  rules  of  health  shall  cause  a  feeling  of 
illness,  an  unstrung  state  of  the  system,  and  mis- 
ery and  wretchedness  ?  The  nerves  get  poisoned 
with  impure  blood,  starved  with  thin  blood. 
The  blood  may  be  poisoned  by  bile,  by  alcohol, 
by  bad  food,  by  tobacco,  tea,  coffee,  opium,  hen- 
bane, hops,  chloral,  by  breathing  polluted  air, 
neglect  of  the  skin.  One  thing  follows — nervous 
exhaustion. 

The  causes  of  nervousness  above  enumerated 
act  on  the  system  through  the  blood.  Other 
causes  act  on  the  nerves  themselves.  Mental 
anxiety  and  worry  is  not  one  of, the  least  of 
these,  especially  if  continued  for  any  length  of 
time.  The  loss  of  sleep  is  another  ;  so,  too,  are 
excessive  exposure  to  heat  and  cold,  overwork, 
bodily  fatigue,  too  much  brain  work. 

The  symptoms  of  nervousness  are  too  many 
to  mention,  and  vary  in  different  subjects.  The 
patient  knows  and  feels  he  is  ill,  but  cannot  tell 
where  or  how.     He  becomes  fretful  and  peevish, 


60  How  to  Cure  Nervousness. 

and  angry  without  a  cause.  He  is  easily  startled, 
complains  of  irregular  action  of  the  heart,  sleeps 
badly,  and  this  loss  of  sleep  spoils  the  next  day's 
happiness.  Resolution  and  courage  fail,  memory 
is  impaired,  he  becomes  tired  and  easily  confused. 
He  is  subject  to  fits  of  melancholy,  continually 
makes  himself  unhappy.  He  looks  on  the  dark 
side,  and  seems  to  have  no  silver  ray  to  line  the 
clouds  of  life.  If  the  nerves  of  motion  become 
weakened,  the  sufferer  has  little  pleasure  in  either 
bodily  or  mental  exertion.  The  appetite  fails, 
becomes  capricious,  inconstant ;  the  patient  com- 
plains of  a  bad  feeling,  a  pain  in  the  head,  flatu- 
lence, irregularity  of  bowels.  Woe  be  to  him 
now  if  he  flies  to  alcohol  to  stimulate  his  failing 
powers  ! 

We  shall  not  here  enter  into  the  symptoms 
of  hysteria,  so  often  the  result  of  nervousness  in 
both  men  and  women. 

Now,  from  whatever  cause  or  combination  of 
causes  nervousness  has  been  produced,  if  happi- 
ness and  health  are  to  be  restored,  the  causes 
must  be  removed  and  the  injury  they  have  occa- 
sioned be  repaired.  For,  in  proportion  to  the 
weakness  of  a  man's  system  and  the  enfeeble- 
ment  of  his  nerves,  will  be  the  liability  of  his 


How  to  Cure  Nervousness.  61 

falling  a  victim  to  other  and  more  fatal  maladies ; 
and  thus  it  is  that  every  day  we  find  such  diseases 
as  bronchitis,  consumption,  Bright's  disease,  brain 
disease  and  insanity  following  at  the  heels  of 
nervousness. 

The  indications  for  treatment  are  fourfold. 
First,  we  must  remove  the  cause,  restore  the 
tone  of  the  heart,  improve  the  blood.  All  in- 
jurious habits  must  be  given  up  ;  late  hours  and 
intemperance  in  eating  abandoned ;  smoking,  if 
practiced,  stopped.  This  done,  the  patient  is  on 
the  road  to  a  cure ;  for  Nature  is  very  kind  when 
she  has  a  chance,  though  she  is  dreadfully  cruel 
when  abused. 

The  food  is  most  important.  It  must  be 
abundant  and  wholesome — neither  too  much  nor 
too  little.  It  should  not  be  sloppy,  and  soups 
had  better  be  avoided  so  long  as  solid  food  can 
be  taken.  Rise  from  the  table  feeling  you  have 
had  enough,  but  not  oppressed  with  what  you 
have  eaten.  Many  a  man  has  lived  to  old  age 
by  following  this  rule.  The  bread  should  be 
stale,  and  no  very  heating  food  taken. 

Eight  hours'  sleep  should  be  taken  every 
night  if  possible.  This  alone  will  nearly  cure. 
"  Early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise  "  should  be  the 


62  How  to  Cure  Nervousness. 

motto.  Sleep  is  the  salvation  of  the  nervous 
system.  When  there  is  strength,  a  cool  bath, 
short  and  quickly  over,  with  much  friction  under 
a  sheet,  should  be  taken  every  morning,  and  a 
reaction  secured.  Without  a  reaction  much  harm 
results. 

The  exercise  should  be  moderate  and  pleas- 
ant. Riding,  driving,  rowing,  light  physical  la- 
bor, are  all  good.  Those  who  live  in  cities  and 
cannot  enjoy  out-of-door  labor  or  riding,  should 
adopt  systematic  habits  of  exercise.  Some  form 
of  gymnastics  will  be  very  serviceable.  The 
Lifting  Cure,  if  rightly  used,  has  great  value  in 
the  cure  of  nervousness.  It  seems  to  be  able  to 
restore  the  lost  equilibrium  of  the  system,  and 
bring  the  weak  parts  of  the  body  up  in  strength 
to  a  par  with  the  strong  parts.  The  passive 
exercises  of  the  Movement  Cure  are  also  excel- 
lent, and  any  one  may  learn  from  books  how  to 
apply  it  to  himself,  if  he  will.  Breakfast  early ; 
dine  at  one  or  two,  and  sup  two  hours  before 
going  to  bed  ;  drink  no  tea.  Take  no  narcotics 
to  make  you  sleep.  A  few  raw  oysters  before 
bedtime  are  worth  all  the  narcotics  in  the  world, 
are  easily  digested,  and  furnish  material  for  re- 
storing nervous  tissue  and  blood.     If  you  wake 


How  to  Cure  Nervousness.  63 

up  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  cannot  go 
to  sleep,  eat  slowly  a  crust  of  bed  ;  this  will 
often  help  a  nervous  person  to  go  to  sleep  again. 

A  change  of  scene,  air,  with  cheerful  society, 
and  sea-bathing,  are  excellent  agents  for  curing 
nervousness. 

Avoid  physic — it  exhausts  the  tone  of  the 
system,  which  you  ought  to  restore. 

Above  all,  keep  up  a  good  heart,  and  a  firm 
faith  in  all  that  is  good  and  true. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Cure  of  Nervousness — Continued. 


The  eminent  C.  B.  Radcliffe,  M.  D.,  Fellow 
of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  of  London, 
in  one  of  his  able  lectures  on  Cerebral  or  Brain 
Exhaustion,  furnishes  us  with  some  excellent 
hints  concerning  Diet  and  Rest,  which  we  quote 
quite  fully,  as  what  he  says  is  applicable  to  a 
very  large  class  of  persons  suffering  from  a  sort 
of  bankruptcy  of  the  faculties  of  the  mind — a 
kind  of  bankruptcy  which,  we  are  sorry  to  say, 
is  quite  too  common  and  too  little  guarded 
against.  Dr.  Radcliffe  speaks  concerning  food 
first,  and  says : 

"  I  confess  to  being  a  heretic  in  matters  of 
diet.  Do  what  I  will,  I  cannot  bring  myself  to 
accept  the  current  belief  that  butchers'  meat  is 


Diet,  Rest  from  Head-  Wo?*k.  65 

food  par  excellence,  and  that  all  other  food  is 
little  more  than  '  padding.'  On  the  contrary,  I 
feel  convinced  that  views  and  practices  in  this 
respect  have  changed  infinitely  for  the  worse 
during  the  last  few  years,  and  that  herein,  per- 
haps, may  be  found  one  main  reason  why  various 
nervous  disorders  are  so  numerous  and  often  so 
difficult  to  deal  with. 

"  Few  persons  with  any  practical  experience, 
I  think,  will  maintain  that  the  diet  of  'training,' 
which  is  relatively  rich  in  lean  meat  and  poor  in 
the  other  constituents  of  diet,  especially  in  the 
oleaginous,  can  be  kept  up  for  any  length  of  time 
with  absolute  impunity.  The  fact,  indeed,  is 
simply  this,  that  an  extraordinary  degree  of  mus- 
cular strength  is  got  up,  not  by  the  diet  simply, 
but  by  the  whole  plan  of  training,  in  six  weeks 
or  thereabouts,  and  that  afterward  the  man  in 
training  gets  out  of  'condition';  every  day  per- 
ceptibly losing  muscular  energy  and  firmness 
and  pluck,  and  becoming  headachy,  feverish,  and 
out  of  sorts  in  every  way. 

"  Few  persons,  also,  will  nowadays  be  pre- 
pared to  contend  uncompromisingly  for  Banting- 
ism,  which  is  practically  the  diet  of  training 
carried  still  further  to  extremes  on  the  side  of 


GQ  The  Cure  of  Nervousness. 

meat ;  and  not  a  few,  I  take  it,  will  have  begun 
to  suspect  that  there  may  even  be  something 
actually  hurtful  in  the  practice.  For  myself  I 
will  simply  say  that  I  have  quite  come  to  a 
conclusion  on  the  subject,  and  that  I  very  much 
doubt  whether  there  ever  was  a  fallacy  which, 
to  use  a  common  phrase,  has  more  effectually 
*  played  into  the  hands'  of  medical  men — of 
those  especially  who  are  sought  after  by  persons 
suffering  from  disorders  of  the  nervous  system. 

"  These  are  extreme  cases,  but  after  all  not 
so  extreme  as  to  be  beside  the  purpose.  Often, 
indeed,  I  meet  with  persons  who  are  just  in  the 
state  of  those  who  have  been  over-training,  who 
are  not  '  up '  to  any  work,  bodily  or  mental,  and 
who  tell  you  that  they  cannot  for  the  life  of  them 
tell  why  they  are  so,  for  they  have  not  been  tak- 
ing it  out  of  themselves  by  work  of  any  kind, 
and  they  have  been  doing  all  they  could  to  keep 
up  their  strength :  drinking  beef  tea  by  the 
quart,  eating  meat  three  times  a  day,  etc. 

"  It  is  certainly  possible  for  people  to  enjoy 
excellent  health  upon  the  most  different  kinds  of 
diet.  No  doubt  there  are  individuals  who  take 
kindly  to  animal  food,  and  others  who  do  not  do 
so ;  but  all  the  evidence,  as  I  can  read  it,  is 


Diet,  Rest  from  Head-  Work.  67 

against  the  notion  that  meat  is  to  be  looked  upon 
as  the  food  which  must  be  had  at  any  price.  At 
all  events,  I  cannot  help  but  think  that  the 
present  practice  of  urging  persons  at  all  weakly, 
especially  children,  to  eat  as  much  meat  as  they 
can,  may  have  not  a  little  to  do  in  causing  the 
development  of  many  nervous  disorders,  and  in 
deranging  the  health  in  many  other  ways  be- 
sides ;  perhaps  (as  the  inquiries  of  Dr.  Parkes 
would  lead  one  to  expect)  in  causing  liver  and 
kidney  and  other  glandular  diseases  by  over- 
taxing the  eliminating  power  of  these  organs. 

"  It  is  high  time,  I  take  it,  now  that  meat  of 
all  kinds  is  only  to  be  had  at  almost  famine 
prices,  that  people,  and  especially  the  poor, 
should  be  taught  to  think  that  animal  food  is  not 
so  essential  as  they  believe  it  to  be.  It  is  high 
time,  for  instance,  that  the  English  should  be 
taught  to  imitate  the  French  in  their  diet.  But 
I  must  not  dilate  as  I  would  fain  do  upon  these 
matters,  nor  must  I  attempt  to  lay  down  any 
definite  rules  of  diet.  Indeed,  all  that  I  must 
allow  myself  to  do  is  to  reassert  my  belief  that 
excess  of  animal  food,  relative  or  actual,  is  a 
very  important  cause  of  many  disorders  of  the 
nervous  system  ;  and  that  in  the  prevention  and 


68  The  Cure  of  Nervousness. 

treatment  of  these  disorders  it  is  all-important 
that  the  oleaginous  and  farinaceous  articles  of 
diet,  rather  than  the  nitrogenous,  should  be  fully 
supplied.  I  maintain,  indeed  as  I  have  long 
done,  that  the  nerve  tissue  (which  consists  in 
large  measure  of  a  kind  of  fat)  is  starved  if  the 
hydrocarbons  are  withheld ;  and  that  this  with- 
holding is  one  main  reason  for  the  speedy 
breaking  down  in  training  or  in  Bantingism ; 
and  I  further  believe  that  this  is  not  the  only 
way  in  which  the  want  of  hydrocarbons  operates 
mischievously.  Indeed,  the  fact  that  muscular 
work  shows  itself  in  the  amount  produced,  not 
of  urea,  but  of  carbonic  acid,  convinces  me  that 
the  hydrocarbons  are  necessary  for  action,  as 
well  as  for  nutrition,  in  nerve  and  muscle ;  are 
necessary,  perhaps,  in  keeping  up  the  electrical 
charge  of  nerve  and  muscle,  which,  as  I  believe, 
has  so  much  to  do  in  nervous  action  and  muscu- 
lar action.  Possibly,  also,  these  hydrocarbons 
may  have  some  work  to  do  as  *  floating  fuel,' 
though  not  much  ;  for  if  much  work  of  this  kind 
had  been  required  of  them,  it  is  not  easy  to  be- 
lieve that  the  natives  of  hot  countries  would  have 
been  so  ready  to  stoke  themselves  with  oily  mat- 


Walking  Overestimated.  69 

ter;  the  Hindoo,  for   example,  with  ghee,  and 
the  Italian  with  olive  oil. 

WALKING    OVERESTIMATED. 

"  I  am  also  very  much  disposed  to  maintain 
that  too  much  stress  may  be  laid  upon  the  im- 
portance of  walking  exercise  in  very  many  cases, 
in  cerebral  exhaustion  among  the  rest.  Of  this 
I  am  confident  that  very  many  cases  of  the  latter 
disorder  come  under  notice,  in  wrhich  over- 
walking  would  seem  to  be  no  insignificant  cause 
of  breaking  down  in  health,  and  in  which  little 
or  no  progress  is  made  toward  recovery  until  the 
patient  begins  to  economize  his  strength  in  this 
direction ;  in  standing  quite  as  much  as  in  walk- 
ing, perhaps  more.  It  would  often  seem  as  if 
the  amount  of  vital  power  at  the  disposal  of  the 
individual  did  not  allow  of  much  head-work  and 
much  leg-work  together,  though  quite  sufficient 
to  allow  of  a  fair  amount  of  either  kind  of  work 
singly;  and  that,  under  these  circumstances,  if 
the  head-work  must  be  done,  it  is  expedient  to 
avoid  walking  exercise  rather  than  to  seek  op- 
portunities for  taking  it;  and  often  to  settle 
down  in  an  easy  chair  and  have  a  nap  rather 
than  to  walk  at  all.     It  is  a  common  thing  for  a 


70  The  Cure  of  Nervousness. 

person  suffering  from  cerebral  exhaustion  to  find 
that  he  cannot  stand  or  walk,  except  for  a  short 
time,  and  that  if  he  persists  he  soon  becomes 
faint  and  breathless  and  unable  to  talk,  though 
comparatively  fresh  and  well  before  he  began  to 
walk  and  stand.  It  is  also  a  common  thing  in 
such  a  case  for  walking  exercise,  however  mode- 
rately indulged  in,  to  be  followed  by  inability  to 
keep  the  thoughts  to  this  point,  or  by  distressing 
drowsiness  or  actual  sleep ;  the  walking  exer- 
cise, in  short,  having  brought  on  head-symptoms 
which  were  not  present  previously.  Upon  this 
point  I  am  thoroughly  convinced.  I  am  also 
constrained  to  believe — indeed  the  simple  facts 
of  experience  leave  me  no  alternative — that  in 
very  many  cases  the  persistence  in  walking  and 
standing,  when  the  opposite  rule  of  rest  ought 
to  have  been  observed,  has  had  mainly  to  do, 
not  only  with  bringing  on  and  keeping  up  a  state 
of  cerebral  exhaustion,  but  with  pushing  matters 
to  the  crisis  of  paralysis.  I  do  not  remember  a 
single  case  of  hemiplegia,  in  any  form,  in  which 
the  attack  was  not  preceded  by  marked  failure 
in  locomotive  power,  and  in  which  the  history 
did  not  countenance  the  notion  that  the  attack 
might  have  been  averted  if  there  had  been  more 


Rest  from  Head-  Work.  71 

prudence  in  the  matter  of  walking  or  standing. 
The  simple  occurrence  of  hemiplegia  must  show 
that  the  brain  had  become  unequal  to  the  full 
amount  of  locomotive  work  demanded  of  it ;  and 
if  so,  then  there  must  surely  be  grave  danger 
that  a  jaded  brain  may  break  down  in  paralysis 
if  it  be  overtaxed  in  the  direction  of  this  particu- 
lar work.  In  a  word,  I  cannot  help  but  look 
upon  this  and  other  forms  of  paralysis  in  which 
locomotion  is  compromised  as  in  the  main  pre- 
ventable, when  people  in  whom  symptoms  of 
cerebral  exhaustion  are  beginning  to  declare 
themselves  are  more  alive  to  the  necessity  of 
saving  their  strength  in  the  direction  of  locomo- 
tion. At  all  events,  upon  one  point  I  have  no 
doubt,  namely  this :  that  in  many  cases  of  cere- 
bral exhaustion,  both  with  a  view  to  prevention 
and  cure,  it  is  necessary  to  check  rather  than  to 
encourage  walking  exercise. 

REST   FROM    HEAD-WORK. 

"lam  also  disposed  to  think  that  rest  from 
head-work  may  be  too  much  insisted  upon  in 
cerebral  exhaustion,  and  in  other  cases  of  the 
kind.  Often  and  often  I  have  met  with  patients 
with  jaded  brains  who  have  certainly  let  their 


72  The  Cure  of  Nervousness. 

minds  lie  fallow  too  long.  More  than  one  over- 
worked barrister,  who  could  scarcely  drag  on 
until  the  long  vacation,  has  complained  to  me 
that  the  vacation  was  too  long,  and  that  it  would 
have  been  better  for  him  if  he  had  returned  to 
his  own  work  sooner,  or  if  he  had  changed  his 
work.  Mere  distraction,  even  travel,  is  not 
enough.  Weeds  will  grow  apace  under  such 
circumstances ;  and  soon,  very  soon,  the  difficulty 
is  to  get  the  mind  under  cultivation  again.  What 
is  wanted  generally,  even  at  the  beginning,  is, 
not  that  work  should  be  given  up  altogether, 
even  for  a  short  time,  but  that  it  should  be  mod- 
erated in  amount,  or  changed.  It  is  given  to 
few  to  imitate  the  example  of  a  late  Premier, 
who,  when  thoroughly  over-wrought  at  the  end 
of  the  session,  recruited  himself  by  spending  a 
great  part  of  his  holidays  in  writing  '  Juventus 
Mundi';  but  the  fact  is  full  of  significance  in 
the  present  place.  Indeed,  the  longer  I  live  the 
more  am  I  convinced  that  it  is  a  grave  mistake 
to  let  the  mind  lie  fallow,  even  for  a  short  time ; 
not  only  in  the  particular  cases  under  considera- 
tion, but  in  all  cases  where  head  symptoms  have 
to  be  dealt  with  :  in  epilepsy,  for  example,  no 
less  than  in  cerebral  exhaustion.     In  epilepsy, 


Rest  from  Head-  Work.  73 

indeed,  I  have  long  maintained  that  it  is  the  very 
gravest  blunder  in  practice  to  suspend  education 
— that  the  very  basis  of  successful  treatment  is 
only  to  be  laid  in  education.  In  the  case  of  an 
epileptic  child  I  should  be  altogether  hopeless  of 
arriving  at  a  satisfactory  result,  except  by  build- 
ing the  plan  of  treatment  on  this  foundation; 
and  the  same  feeling  would  influence  me  consid- 
erably, even  in  the  case  of  an  adult  suifering 
from  cerebral  disorder,  let  this  disorder  be  what 
it  may,  if  in  one  way  or  another  I  could  not 
keep  his  mind  from  preying  upon  itself,  by  pro- 
viding him  with  some  proper  occupation.  Of 
course,  this  notion  may  be  carried  too  far.  Un- 
doubtedly harm,  much  harm,  may  be  done  by 
pressing  the  necessity  for  work  too  strongly ; 
but,  practically,  this  danger  will  prove  to  be 
small  in  comparison  with  that  of  letting  the 
mind  lie  fallow." 


CHAPTER  X. 

Value  of  a  Large  Supply  of  Food  in  Nerv- 
ous Disorders. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  eating  too  much, 
and  there  is  also  such  a  thing  as  eating  too  little. 
Gluttons  do  the  former ;  nervous  persons  some- 
times do  the  latter.  We  would  not  advise  nerv- 
ous persons  to  eat  more  than  they  can  digest, 
but  we  would  advise  them  to  cultivate  the  love 
for  wholesome  food,  and  try  to  eat  all  that  can 
be  digested.  Dr.  G.  Fielding  Blandford,  F.  R. 
C.  P.,  takes  a  similar  view  as  to  the  value  of  a 
large  supply  of  food  in  nervous  disorders,  and 
says  in  one  of  his  lectures,  from  which  we  quote 
quite  fully : 

"  Among  the  various  therapeutical  agents  and 
innumerable  drugs  advocated  and  employed  for 
the  relief  of  nervous  weakness,  and  the  cure  of 
the  disorders  which  thence  arise,  it  is  possible 


Food  in  Nervous  Disorders.  75 

that  the  unaided  effects  of  food  may  not  in  all 
cases  have  met  with  the  trial  they  deserve.  Pa- 
tients thus  afflicted,  are  told  to  live  well  and 
adopt  a  generous  diet,  but  the  generosity  of  this 
is  usually  estimated  by  the  amount  of  port  wine, 
or  other  alcoholic  stimulant,  rather  than  by  that 
of  the  bread,  mutton,  or  beef. 

"  Certain  chronic  invalids  who  have  been 
brought  under  my  notice  have  been  lifted  out  of 
their  former  condition  of  '  nervousness '  by  an 
increase  in  the  quantity  of  their  food.  They 
have  been  people  suffering  from  some  general 
neurosis,  taking  the  form  of  an  insanity  of  a  low 
and  depressed  character,  or  hypochondriasis, 
hysteria,  alcoholism,  or  neuralgia — affections 
closely  allied  one  to  another,  which  may  be  wit- 
nessed in  one  form  or  other  in  individuals  inher- 
iting the  same  neurotic  temperament.  We  may 
see. different  members  of  the  6ame  family  dis- 
playing, one  insanity,  another  neuralgia,  a  third 
hypochondriasis,  while  the  conversion  of  one  va- 
riety into  another  is  a  matter  of  every-day  ob- 
servation. 

"  If  we  inquire  into  the  past  history  of  nerv- 
ous patients,  and  have  the  opportunity  of  learning 
accurately  the  facts  thereof,  we   often  find  that 


76  Food  in  Nervous  Disorders. 

for  a  considerable  time  the  supply  of  daily  food 
lias  been  in  no  degree  adequate  to  the  necessities 
of  the  individual.  Here  is  a  common  case :  A 
man  somewhat  past  middle  life,  but  whose  years 
do  not  imply  senile  decay,  becomes  unfit  for  busi- 
ness, fidgety,  irritable,  depressed,  or  even  mel- 
ancholic to  the  extent  of  insanity.  We  hear  that 
he  has  been  a  hard-working  man  of  business, 
always  nervous,  and  very  probably  an  indifferent 
sleeper.  Being  most  heavy  for  sleep  in  the 
morning,  he  has  risen  at  the  latest  moment,  and, 
snatching  a  mouthful  of  breakfast,  has  hurried 
off  to  catch  the  train  or  omnibus,  worried  and 
anxious  lest  he  fail  to  reach  his  office  at  the  hour 
appointed.  At  lunch-time,  if  he  be  really  hard- 
worked,  he  takes,  not  a  meal,  but  a  sandwich  or 
biscuit,  eaten  perhaps  standing,  and  often  bolted 
in  so  great  a  hurry  that  digestion  is  difficult ;  lie 
tells  us  that  he  dare  not  take  more  of  a  meal  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  for  he  would  be  rendered 
unfit  for  the  remainder  of  his  work.  In  the 
evening,  with  what  appetite  he  may,  he  eats  his 
dinner,  perhaps  not  before  half-past  seven  o'clock. 
Now,  granting  that  his  dinner  is  amply  suffi- 
cient, such  a  man  lives  on  one  meal  a  day,  with 
very  little  beside.     These   are   the   persons   who 


Food  in  Nervous  Disorders.  11 

cannot  go  on  without  frequent  holidays  ;  nervous 
by  inheritance,  they  break  down  because  they 
are  insufficiently  fed.  A  holiday,  during  which 
they  live  better,  builds  them  up  again  fur  a  time, 
again  to  break  down ;  often  to  fall  into  the  con- 
dition above-mentioned.  Another  class,  among 
whom  we  may  frequently  witness  the  same  re- 
sult and  corresponding  symptoms,  are  the  clergy- 
men, who  for  various  reasons  deny  themselves 
an  adequate  amount  of  food.  Either  they  fast 
rigidly,  according  to  the  rule  and  doctrine  of  the 
day,  often  allowing  some  hours  to  elapse  before 
they  break  their  fast,  or  they  think  that  hearty 
eating  is  a  snare  and  a  carnal  enjoyment,  or 
they  hold  it  sinful  to  eat  their  fill  while  others 
are  in  want.  Whatever  the  cause,  certain  it  is 
that  many  of  the  clergy  break  down  in  one  or 
other  of  the  forms  of  nervous  disorder  already 
enumerated,  and  an  enlarged  dietary  is  to  them 
a  necessity.  A  vast  number  of  women,  for  one 
reason  or  other,  take  a  very  small  supply  of 
food ;  some  think  it  unladylike  to  eat  heartily ; 
some  eat  on  the  sly,  and  when  this  is  not  prac- 
ticable go  without.  Many,  from  the  lives  they 
lead,  are  doubtless  correct  in  saying  they  cannot 
eat,  because  they  have  no  appetite.     These  stay 


78  Food  in  Nervous  Disorders. 

in  the  house  from  month  to  month,  or  never 
venture  beyond  the  door  except  in  a  carriage, 
because  ladies  do  not  walk  in  the  streets.  Oth- 
ers have  misgivings  on  the  score  of  their  diges- 
tion. Like  many  women  who  lead  sedentary 
lives,  and  habituate  themselves  to  passing  long 
periods  without  action  of  the  bowels,  they  suffer 
greatly  from  constipation,  whicli  is  looked  upon 
as  an  indication  and  a  warning  that  they  ought 
not  to  eat.  So  they  starve  themselves,  and  fancy 
that  if  they  abstain  from  food  it  is  of  little  conse- 
quence whether  they  pass  a  motion  once  a  week 
or  once  a  fortnight. 

"  It  may  be  well  to  consider  somewhat  more 
in  detail  the  various  neuroses  which  have  been 
mentioned. 

"  The  first  on  the  list  is  iow  nervous  depres- 
sion, commonly  known  as  melancholia,  the  most 
formidable  of  all  that  have  been  named,  the  one 
most  likely  to  run  in  a  short  time  to  serious  and 
even  fatal  insanity,  but  which,  if  arrested  at  an 
early  stage,  is  often  singularly  amenable  to  treat- 
ment. In  almost  every  example  of  this  variety, 
and  almost  from  the  commencement,  we  find  a 
marked  disinclination  to  take  food,  and  in  ex- 
treme cases  it  can  only  be  administered  by  some 


Food  in  Nervous  Disorders.  79 

kind  of  forcible  feeding.  In  milder  cases,  and 
at  an  early  period,  it  will  be  taken  if  we  insist 
upon  it,  and  the  result  of  a  large  supply  is  fre- 
quently manifested  in  a  very  brief  time.  It  has 
been  ascertained  by  many  writers  that  refusal  of 
food  on  the  part  of  melancholia  patients  is  due 
to  dyspepsia,  and  in  confirmation  of  this  opinion 
they  point  to  the  foul  and  furred  tongue,  the  ob- 
stinate constipation,  and  the  fetor  of  breath  so 
constantly  observed  in  such  patients ;  but  this 
condition  of  tongue  and  fetor  are  due,  I  am  con- 
vinced, not  to  gastric  disturbance,  but  to  the 
generally  depressed  and  devitalized  state  of  the 
individual ;  and  the  best  proof  of  the  absence  of 
dyspepsia  is  that,  although  we  suddenly  compel 
the  ingestion  of  what,  compared  with  that  previ- 
ously taken,  may  be  called  a  large  quantity 
of  nourishment,  the  stomach  by  no  means  rejects 
it,  but,  on  the  contrary,  retains  and  digests  it,  as 
is  shown  by  the  rapid  amelioration  which  takes 
place.  It  is  inconceivable  that  dyspepsia  can  be 
the  cause  of  refusal  of  food  when  the  administra- 
tion of  it  is  unattended  by  sickness  or  inconven- 
ience, even  when  that  which  is  taken  into  the 
stomach  is  not  light  invalid  diet.  From  my  own 
observation,  and  from  the  subsequent  confession 


80  Food  in  JVervous  Disorders. 

of  patients,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  re- 
fusal of  food  is  in  almost  every  case  the  result  of 
delusion,  this  being  in  turn  the  result  or  inter- 
pretation in  consciousness  of  the  extreme  nervous 
depression  and  exhaustion  under  which  they  are 
laboring.  They  are  too  wicked  to  live,  too 
wicked  to  eat ;  it  is  sinful  to  pamper  their  flesh 
and  their  appetites  ;  they  beg  for  cold  water  and 
dry  bread,  but  the  idea  of  a  good  dinner  their 
soul  abhors.  If  we  see  such  sufferers  at  an  early 
stage,  when  forcible  feeding  is  not  necessary, 
and  they  will  take  that  which  is  ordered,  merely 
protesting  against  the  uselessness  or  wickedness 
of  the  proceeding,  we  may  prescribe  a  large 
amount  of  food  without  fear;  nay,  with  a  confi- 
dent expectation  of  the  greatest  benefit. 

"  Now  the  latter,  and  it  may  be  the  friends, 
will  protest  loudly  that  it  is  impossible  to  take 
this  quantity  ;  he  will  assign  every  conceivable 
reason  for  avoiding  it ;  but  if  we  are  firm  and 
insist,  and,  if  necessary,  cause  him  to  be  fed  with 
a  spoon,  he  will  retain  and  thrive  on  it,  and  in  a 
few  weeks,  or  even  days,  will  show  very  marked 
signs  of  its  good  effect.  Patients  have  recov- 
ered under  this  treatment  in  a  singularly  rapid 
manner.     Some  learn  in  a  short  time  to  appre- 


Food  in  Nervous  Disorders.  81 

ciate  the  benefit  of  the  food,  and  miss  their  meal 
if  from  any  cause  they  are  unable  to  take  it  at 
the  appointed  hour ;  and  some  have  gone  on  for 
years  after  their  recovery,  taking  not  the  quan- 
tity prescribed  during  the  acute  stage  of  their 
illness,  but  one  very  much  larger  than  that  on 
which  they  had  endeavored  to  live  for  so  long, 
and  under  such  a  change  of  regimen  have  lost  all 
trace  of  the  depression  and  hypochondria  from 
which  they  formerly  suffered.  Although  beef- 
tea,  chocolate,  and  milk  have  been  mentioned  as 
articles  of  diet,  it  by  no  means  follows  that 
liquids  are  to  predominate ;  on  the  contrary, 
solid  food  is  far  better  as  a  sedative,  and  also 
far  more  nutritious,  and  it  may  be  taken  as  in 
health. 

"  It  is  rather,  however,  in  chronic  alcoholism 
that  the  good  effects  of  food  may  be  witnessed. 
Here  it  is  of  the  greatest  consequence  to  abolish 
alcoholic  stimulants  entirely ;  in  fact,  in  such 
abolition  lies  the  only  hope  of  effecting  the 
reformation  of  the  chronic  drinker.  The  intense 
sinking  and  craving  for  the  accustomed  stimulus 
may  often  be  effectually  met  by  food.  Such  pa- 
tients are  unquestionably  most  difficult  to  deal 
with ;  they  assign  reasons  of  all  kinds  for  reject- 


82  Food  in  Nervous  Disorders. 

ing  food,  and  for  being  treated  by  their  favorite 
remedy.  They  are  faint,  they  require  support, 
they  Buffer  from  stomach  ailment,  from  pain, 
from  want  of  appetite,  nausea,  or  sinking ;  but 
they  rarely  vomit  that  which  they  take  if  drink 
is  withheld,  and  this  is  a  tolerably  sure  sign  that 
the  stomach  is  equal  to  the  digestion  of  the  food. 
The  symptoms  of  alcoholism  need  not  be  here 
described;  but  whether  they  be  the  transient 
and  immediate  results  of  a  heavy  debauch,  or 
the  graver  signs  of  commencing  degenerative 
change  of  the  nerve-tissues,  which  runs  on  to 
alcoholic  paralysis,  epilepsy,  or  dementia,  food 
is  equally  demanded,  and  is  in  fact  the  one  thing 
which  can  arrest  this  degeneration,  by  supplying 
nutritive  elements  in  large  quantities.  The  re- 
covery in  such  cases  is  often  astonishing.  I 
lately  saw  a  young  man  who  for  many  weeks  was 
completely  paraplegic,  but  who  nevertheless  en- 
tirely regained  the  use  of  his  limbs.  The  recov- 
eries, too,  from  alcoholic  dementia  are  often 
equally  surprising ;  in  fact,  there  seems  scarcely 
any  state  from  which  recovery  might  not  take 
place  if  the  disease  has  not  existed  for  a  long 
period,  and  if  we  are  able  to  withdraw  all 
alcohol,  and  administer  nourishment  in  quantity. 


Food  in  Nervous  Disorders.  83 

"  There  are  a  number  of  people  whose  nerv- 
ous temperament  displays  itself  in  symptoms 
which  are  called,  in  common  parlance,  hysterical 
or  hypochondriacal.  While  young  they  are 
termed  hysterical,  especially  if  they  are  women ; 
when  older  they  are  known  as  hypochondriacs, 
and  their  nervousness  then  takes  for  the  most 
part  the  form  of  depression  and  anxiety,  or  even 
suffering,  on  account  of  6ome  fancied  bodily  dis- 
order. 

"  Few  of  these  will  be  found  to  take  an  ade- 
quate supply  of  proper  food,  and  those  who  take 
the  least  will  present  the  most  distressing  symp- 
toms of  their  disorder.  The  hypochondriacal 
direct  their  attention  to  the  digestive  organs 
more  frequently  than  to  any  other  region.  They 
suffer  from  constipation,  flatulence,  and  a  host  of 
other  evils,  and  for  this  reason  either  shun  food, 
or  eat  most  unwholesome  and  extraordinary 
combinations  irregularly  or  at  long  intervals. 
Hysterical  women — I  am  not  now  speaking  of 
young  girls — are  especially  prone  to  eat  irregu- 
larly ;  to  take  food,  if  possible,  when  unnoticed  ; 
to  eat  altogether  a  very  inadequate  quantity,  and 
to  eke  it  out  by  an  inordinate  proportion  of 
stimulants.     If  we  look  at  such,   especially  the 


84  Food  i?i  Nervous  Disorders. 

hypochondriacal,  their  whole  aspect  betokens 
innutrition.  Often  they  are  miserably  thin  ;  if 
they  are  given  to  drink  they  may  be  fat,  but 
their  flabby  tissues  speak  of  low  organization 
and  defective  power.  It  is  evident  that  the  nerv- 
ous energy  of  such  people  is  very  low  ;  this  is 
manifested  by  their  mental  depression  and  dis- 
turbance, and  the  defect  must  be  supplied  from 
some  quarter  or  other.  But  whence  can  a  sup- 
ply of  force  come  except  from  the  material  of 
food  taken  into  the  system  by  the  alimentary 
organs  ?  Moral  measures  are,  it  is  said,  and 
said  truly,  essential  to  the  recovery  of  such  per- 
sons. But  moral  measures  constantly  fail,  be- 
cause the  bodily  health  does  not  allow  of  mental 
improvement,  and  is  not  pari  passu  attended  to. 
As  in  more  marked  mental  aberration  no  amount 
of  argument,  proof,  or  moral  suasion  will  expel  a 
delusion  which  vanishes  of  itself  when  the  bodily 
health  is  renovated  ;  so  change  of  scene,  of  per- 
sons, and  moral  treatment  of  every  kind,  will 
fail  with  the  hysterical  or  hypochondriacal  so 
long  as  they  try  to  live  upon  physic  or  alcohol, 
or  upon  a  diet  almost  devoid  of  nutritive  ele- 
ments. 

"  It  may  be   objected   that   some   hypochon- 


Food  in  Nervous  Disorders.  85 

driacal  patien  eat,  not  scantily,  but  enormously, 
taking  more  than  is  necessary  for  a  person  in 
health.  Such  are  to  be  found,  but  in  my  experi- 
ence they  are  the  least  to  be  pitied  of  their  class. 
Though  nervous  about  themselves,  and  prone  to 
take  notice  of  the  slightest  indication  of  any- 
thing they  may  think  an  ailment,  they  are  not 
generally  depressed  or  unhappy,  but,  after  a 
fashion  of  their  own,  they  exert  themselves,  and 
enjoy  life.  Such  people,  I  believe,  take  this 
amount  of  food  from  a  feeling  that  it  is  to  them 
a  necessity,  and  thus  they  keep  at  bay  the  graver 
nervous  disorder  which  perpetually  threatens 
them.  Food  is  to  them  a  stimulus,  and  were  it 
withdrawn  they  would  speedily  show  signs  of 
more  serious  mental  mischief. 

"  The  only  other  subject  on  which  I  propose 
to  say  something  is  neuralgia.  It  is  obvious  that 
any  observations  on  it  must  be  of  the  widest  and 
most  general  character,  and  that  no  account  can 
be  taken  of  the  special  forms  of  this  neurosis,  or 
of  any  pathological  changes  connected  with  it. 
Believing  with  many  others  that  neuralgia  is  one 
manifestation  of  impaired  sensibility,  as  other 
neuroses  may  be  displayed  in  mental  symptoms, 
and  in  these  alone,  I  think  that  the  radical  cure, 


86  Food  in  Nervous  Disorders. 

and  not  the  mere  alleviation,  is  to  be  found  in 
many  cases  in  the  supply  of  a  large  amount  of 
nutriment  to  the  nervous  system.  The  confessed 
failure  of  drugs  in  the  case  of  neuralgias,  and 
the  mere  temporary  alleviation  by  such  methods 
as  hypodermic  injection,  inhalation,  or  a  dose  of 
alcohol,  point  to  the  necessity  of  some  more 
general  mode  of  treatment,  which  shall  effect  a 
greater  change  in  the  functions  of  the  nervous 
organs.  Whatever  the  form  of  food  specially 
indicated,  it  generally  will  be  found  that  the  en- 
tire amount  requires  to  be  increased,  and  that 
the  quantity  taken  for  a  series  of  years  has  been 
deficient.  It  may  be  that  the  alimentary  system 
of  elderly  persons  will  be  found  incapable  of 
assimilating  the  requisite  amount.  On  the  in- 
tractable nature  of  the  neuralgias  of  the  aged, 
nothing  need  here  be  said. 

"  With  two  remarks  I  will  conclude.  First, 
in  all  chronic  forms  of  neurosis,  alcoholic  stimu- 
lants are  a  hindrance  rather  than  a  help — are 
productive  of  evil  rather  than  of  good.  Secondly, 
in  such  disorders  the  fear,  so  commonly  enter- 
tained, both  by  doctors  and  patients,  of  '  over- 
loading the  stomach,'  producing  'biliousness,'  and 
the  like,  is  in  the  majority  of  cases  not  realized. 


Food  in  Nervous  Disorders.  87 

Great  opposition  will  be  offered  by  patients,  and 
every  kind  of  evasion  attempted.  They  will 
swallow  bottles  of  medicine  far  more  willingly 
than  they  will  eat  sufficient  meals  at  regular  in- 
tervals. To  induce  them  to  do  this  is  often  a 
difficult  task,  and  here  moral  handling  is  re- 
quired. If  this  be  judiciously  applied  to  the 
patient  and  the  patient's  friends,  some  very  re- 
markable results  may  be  attained." 


CHAPTER  XL 

Important  Questions  Answered. 

In  the  previous  chapter  great  stress  is  laid 
on  the  importance  of  abundant  food  in  the  cure 
of  nervousness.  Does  this  advice  apply  to  all 
cases  ? 

Answer.  By  no  means.  A  great  deal  of 
nervousness  originates  in  the  monotony  of  life. 
The  clerk  who  is  confined  for  months  in  his 
office  becomes  nervous  for  want  of  a  change  of 
scene,  and  an  increase  of  his  food  alone  would 
do  him  no  good.  He  needs  a  "  change  of  air," 
a  change  of  society,  a  change  of  surroundings. 
He  needs  something  new  to  look  at.  The  sight 
of  green  fields,  mountains,  forests,  natural  ob- 
jects, broad  expanses  of  water,  and  fresh  air  and 
sunshine,  with  the  exercise  which  accompanies 
them,  are  his  first  requisite.     Give  him  these, 


Important  Questions  Answered.         89 

and  his  appetite  will  improve,  he  will  eat  and 
digest  more,  and  out  of  his  food  and  the  air  he 
breathes  his  nervous  system  will  be  built  up 
anew. 

But  the  office  clerk  is  not  the  only  man  who 
becomes  nervous  from  want  of  change  of  scene. 
Half  the  nervous  disorders  of  women  are  due  to 
the  monotony  of  their  lives.  In  cases  of  disor- 
dered nerves  arising  from  grief  or  a  severe  men- 
tal shock,  the  diet-cure  would  be  of  but  slight 
avail ;  and  in  the  saddest  of  all  forms  of  nervous 
disorders — religious  despondency — it  would  be 
useless.  Grief,  anxiety  and  religious  despond- 
ency are  best  treated  by  change  of  scene,  and 
by  a  total  separation  of  the  patient  from  all  for- 
mer surroundings.  Grief  and  anxiety  wear  them- 
selves out  in  course  of  time,  and  as  they  lessen 
so  does  the  nervous  condition  improve.  Relig- 
ious despondency,  on  the  other  hand,  is  far  less 
hopeful.  One  thing,  however,  must  be  remarked 
— that  the  persons  most  subject  to  religious  de- 
spondency are  idle,  with  little  or  no  occupation 
for  mind  or  body.  For  such,  good  steady  work 
would  be  of  great  service.  Nervous  disorders 
are  of  so  many  kinds,  spring  from  so  many 
causes,  and  possess  such  an  infinity  of  complica- 


90         Important  Questions  Answered. 

tions,  that  to  lay  down  a  uniform  system  of  cure 
would  be  out  of  the  question ;  but,  in  any  case, 
change  of  scene  and  surroundings  and  change  of 
occupation  are  far  more  valuable  aids  than  medi- 
cine. 

There  is  much  nervousness  among  farmers' 
wives.  Sometimes  it  is  caused  by  the  very  bad 
food  which  they  prepare — the  fried  pork,  ham 
and  eggs,  hot  bread.  These  things  do  not  nour- 
ish the  body  well ;  but  the  monotony  of  a  farm- 
er's wife'6  life  is  too  great,  and  the  labor,  in 
addition  to  child-bearing  and  rearing,  too  much, 
and  they  should  frequently  have  a  change  of 
scene  and  surroundings.  City  women  are  cured 
of  their  nervousness  by  going  to  the  country. 
Country  women  might  be  cured  by  going  to  the 
city  and  spending  a  few  days  or  weeks  there. 
Not  all,  however,  can  do  this.  Then  let  them 
get  out  into  the  woods  and  fields,  and  make  the 
acquaintance  of  the  birds,  flowers  and  trees,  or 
let  them  ride  or  drive,  or  take  a  sail,  or  ride  on 
the  railroad.  A  change,  if  but  for  a  day,  fre- 
quently made,  will  help  to  prevent  an  increase 
of  nervousness,  and  aid  in  making  life  much 
more  endurable — make  it,  indeed,  what  it  ought 
to  be,  a  little  heaven  here  below. 


Quantity  of  Food  for  Brain -Workers.    91 

GRIEF    AND    SORROW. 

Why  is  it  that  grief,  sorrow  and  despair  are 
so  exhausting  to  the  nervous  system  ? 

Ans.  Because  they  are  forms  of  nervous  ex- 
ertion which  consume  large  quantities  of  nervous 
substance,  and  at  the  same  time  they  destroy 
the  appetite  and  digestion,  retard  the  circulation 
of  the  blood,  ana  prevent  that  sound  sleep  which 
restores  nerve  substance.  The  mind  in  such 
cases  cannot  act  easily.  It  is  like  drawing  a 
sled  on  dry  ground.  The  true  remedy  is  to  take 
the  mind  off  of  these  subjects,  which  exhaust, 
and  place  it  on  something  agreeable. 

QUANTITY    OF    FOOD   FOR    BRAIN-WORKERS. 

Do  brain-workers  require  as  much  food  as 
those  who  work  only  with  their  muscles  ? 

Ans.  What  is  a  brain-worker  ?  A  man  who 
writes  books,  edits  newspapers,  practices  law, 
plans  and  executes  a  campaign,  contrives  how  to 
build  a  house,  a  steamboat  or  a  railroad,  invents 
a  new  machine — in  fact,  works  at  "  head-work  " 
— is  a  brain-worker.  A  farmer  and  mechanic 
may  be  a  brain-worker,  quite  as  well  as  a  lawyer 
and  preacher.  Now,  it  is  estimated  by  Dr.  Car- 
penter that,  while  the  brain  is  not  over  one- 


92         Important  Questions  Answered. 

fortieth  the  weight  of  the  body,  it  receives  one- 
fifth  of  all  the  blood  ;  and  to  make  this  blood,  a 
great  deal  of  food  is  required.  According  to 
some  physiologists,  three  hours  of  hard  study 
wear  out  the  body  more  than  a  whole  day  of 
hard  work  at  the  anvil  or  on  the  farm.  Still,  a 
brain-worker  rarely  eats  as  much  as  a  muscle- 
worker,  unless,  at  the  same  time,  the  former,  as  he 
ought  to,  takes  also  considerable  out-of-door  ex- 
ercise. Nor  can  brain-workers  manage  so  indi- 
gestible food  as  those  who  work  at  manual  labor. 
In  our  country,  however,  nearly  all  are  to  some 
extent  brain-workers,  and  all  ought  also  to  work 
with  the  body  sufficiently  to  maintain  a  high 
degree  of  health,  upon  which,  after  all,  the  vigor 
of  the  nervous  system  depends. 

NERVOUS    EXHAUSTION    THROUGH   INDOLENCE. 

Why  is  it  that  indolent  people  are  sometimes 
as  nervous  as  the  overworked  ? 

Ans.  The  indolent  man  does  not  exercise 
his  brain  sufficiently  to  keep  it  in  a  high  degree 
of  vigor.  Indolence  exhausts,  by  allowing  the 
entrance  of  fretful  thoughts  into  the  mind  ;  not 
action,  in  which  there  is  health  and  pleasure. 
"We  never  knew  a  man  without  an  occupation  who 


A  Hint  for  Those  Who  Need  It.       93 

did  not  seem  to  be  very  busy.  It  may  be  lie 
was  occupied  in  worrying  about  his  dinner,  or 
the  place  where  he  should  spend  his  holiday — 
which  he  did  not  work  for ;  in  abusing  his  wife 
and  children  ;  in  inventing  pleasures,  and  abus- 
ing them  when  found ;  in  turning  the  house 
upside  down  by  doing  little  jobs  foolishly  sup- 
posed to  be  useful.  And  women,  too,  when 
stretched  on  the  rack  of  a  too  easy  chair,  are 
they  not  forced  to  confess  that  there  is  as  much 
nervous  force  required  to  enable  them  to  endure 
the  "pains  and  penalties  of  idleness"  as  would, 
if  rightly  directed,  render  them  useful  and  hap- 
py ?  The  fact  is,  there  are  far  more  who  die  of 
selfishness  and  idleness  than  of  overwork ;  for 
where  men  break  down  by  overwork  it  is  gener- 
ally from  not  taking  care  to  order  aright  their 
lives  and  obey  the  laws  of  health. 

A    HINT   FOR   THOSE   WHO    NEED    IT. 

May  not  fretting  over  past  errors  cause  nerv- 
ous exhaustion  ? 

Ans.  Most  certainly;  and  no  waste  of  force 
is  so  foolish  as  this,  because  if  our  mistakes  are 
curable,  the  same  energy  we  expend  in  regret- 
ting would  counteract  their  bad  effects ;  and  if 


94:         Important  Questions  Answered. 

they  are  incurable,  why  think  any  more  about 
them  ?  None  but  a  child  cries  over  spilt  milk. 
The  mischief  is  done,  and  let  it  be  forgotten, 
only  taking  care  for  the  future.  Sometimes  peo- 
ple keep  fretting  about  troubles  that  may  never 
take  place,  and  spend  floods  of  nervous  force 
on  absolutely  nothing.  Real  worry  from  great 
trials  of  various  sorts  is  quite  enough,  and 
causes  a  greater  draught  on  onr  vital  force  than 
hard  work.  Let  us  not,  therefore,  aggravate 
matters  by  anticipations  of  troubles  that  are 
little  better  than  visionary. 

NERVOUS    TEMPERAMENTS. 

Have  you  any  hint  for  the  person  with  an 
excessive  development  of  the  nervous  tempera- 
ment ? 

Ans.  Yes;  several  of  them.  Persons  of  a 
nervous  temperament  seem  to  be  always  upon 
wires.  Nature  has  given  them  energy ;  but 
their  physique  is  in  many  cases  inadequate  to 
supply  the  demands  made  upon  it.  The  steam 
is  there,  but  the  boiler  is  too  weak.  Duke 
d'Alva,  according  to  Fuller,  must  have  been  of 
this  nature.  "  He  was  one  of  a  lean  body  and 
visage,  as  if  his  eager  soul,  biting  for  anger  at 


Nervous   Temperaments.  95 

the  clog  of  his  body,  desired  to  fret  a  passage 
through  it."  The  same  thought  was  wittily  ex- 
pressed by  Sydney  Smith  when  he  exclaimed : 
"  Why,  look  there  at  Jeffrey ;  and  there  is  my 

little  friend  ,  who  has  not  body  enough  to 

cover  his  mind  decently  with ;  his  intellect  is 
improperly  exposed."  Now,  these  are  just  the 
sort  of  people  who  should  not  kill  themselves, 
for,  though  wrapped  in  small  parcels,  they  are 
fine  goods.  They  owe  it  as  a  duty  to  them- 
selves and  others  not  to  allow  their  fiery  souls 
to  u  fret  their  bodies  to  decay  " — not  to  throw 
too  much  zeal  into  trifies,  in  order  that  they  may 
have  a  supply  of  nerve  force  for  things  impor- 
tant. The  person  with  this  temperament  who 
desires  to  wear  well  must  take  for  his  motto, 
"  Nothing  in  excess."  Such  a  one,  as  we  have 
had  occasion  more  than  once  to  urge,  avoids 
dinners  of  many  courses,  goes  to  bed  early,  and 
does  not  devote  his  energy  to  the  endurance  of 
overheated  assemblies.  When  young  men  around 
him  have  athletics  on  the  brain,  he  keeps  his 
head  and  health  by  exercising  only  moderately. 
He  is  not  ambitious  of  being  in  another's  place, 
but  tries  quietly  to  adorn  his  own.  "  Give  me 
innocence;    make   others  great!"  is  his  motto 


96         Important  Questions  Answered. 

"When  others  are  killing  themselves  to  get  money, 
and  to  get  it  quickly,  that  with  it  they  may  make 
a  vain  show,  he  prays  the  prayer  of  Agur,  "  Give 
me  neither  poverty  nor  riches,"  for  he  thinks 
more  of  the  substance  than  of  the  shadow. 

BRAIN    FOOD. 

What  is  brain  food  ? 

Ans.  All  food  that  nourishes  the  body  and 
makes  good  blood  is  brain  food.  The  same 
blood  that  nourishes  the  foot  and  hand  also 
nourishes  the  brain  and  nerves,  though  the  latter 
no  doubt  take  from  it  and  require  in  it  sub- 
stances which  the  former  do  not.  In  general, 
the  fruits  and  grains  contain  those  substances 
which  the  brain  requires,  but  our  present  mode 
of  cookery  is  such  that  much  of  our  food  is 
robbed  of  its  most  nutritious  properties,  or  ren- 
dered indigestible  before  it  reaches  the  stomach. 
Brown  bread,  made  from  the  very  best  of  wheat, 
or,  if  the  entire  bran  is  too  irritating,  bread 
made  of  wheat  from  which  the  external  cuticle 
has  been  removed,  but  not  with  it  the  second 
layer,  is  very  desirable  for  brain-workers.  Bak- 
ers' brown  bread,  made  of  poor  white  flour  and 
the  worst  of  bad  bran,  however,  is  not  fit  to  be 


Brain  Food.  97 

eaten.  If  made  in  the  form  of  gems  it  is  best, 
provided  these  are  light.  Several  English  lite- 
rary men  advise  oatmeal  as  an  excellent  food  to 
do  brain-work  on,  and  they  are  right ;  used  once 
a  day  with  fruit,  it  serves  an  excellent  purpose. 
Indian  corn -bread  is  also  nearly  as  good. 
Lean  meat  is  not  a  brain,  but  a  muscle,  food, 
and  is  not  so  important  for  brain-workers.  Oys- 
ters are  a  valuable  brain-food,  if  eaten  raw  after 
the  day's  work  is  done.  Fruits,  especially  apples 
and  grapes,  have  two  values :  they  thin  the 
blood,  so  that  it  may  circulate  easily  in  the  finest 
vessels ;  and  they  furnish  acids,  so  necessary  with 
the  alkalies  of  grains,  in  generating  the  nervous 
currents.  They  also  furnish  phosphorus  and 
sugar,  both  essential  to  brain  action.  Some 
form  of  fat  is  essential  to  nourish  the  brain. 
This  organ  is  rich  in  fats.  It  may  be  obtained 
from  oatmeal,  corn,  starchy-foods,  cream,  butter, 
milk,  eggs,  or  nuts.  If,  however,  the  system  is 
overloaded  with  these,  a  great  deal  of  out-door 
physical  labor  is  required  in  order  to  supply 
oxygen,  so  that  the  carbon  and  hydrogen  of 
the  fat  may  be  oxydized  and  made  available. 
The  chemist  has  taken  the  hint,  and  offers  to 
furnish  us  with  brain-foods,  condensed  and  bot- 


98         Important  Questions  Answered. 

tied,  ready  for  use,  and  there  are  now  some  fifty- 
preparations  made  to  feed  starving  brains.  They 
have  only  temporary  value,  and  must  not  be  re- 
lied on  permanently.  Only  a  false  civilization 
makes  them  at  all  in  demand.  Tea,  coffee,  wine 
and  tobacco  are  called  brain- foods  by  many. 
They  act  only  by  their  stimulating  properties, 
and  do  not  feed  the  brain.  If  relied  on  to  any 
great  extent  they  exhaust  the  brain,  sometimes 
beyond  recovery. 

There  is  a  class  of  brain-workers  employed 
on  our  great  morning  daily  papers  who  are 
obliged  to  work  very  rapidly  and  all  night.  It 
is  an  exceedingly  unnatural  employment,  and 
very  exhausting  to  the  nervous  system.  Some 
of  these  keep  up  their  strength  by  stimulants, 
some  by  oatmeal,  and  some  by  beefsteak.  The 
first  is  fatal  to  long  usefulness.  Each  man  must 
seek  out  for  himself  those  normal  means  best 
suited  to  his  case.  For  a  further  discussion  of 
the  subject  of  Food,  see  our  work,  "  Eating  for 
Strength,"  fifth  edition. 

SLEEP. 

What  relation  has  sleep  to  health  of  brain  ? 
Ans.    Sleep  has  at  least  three  uses  :    It  is 


Imperfect  Sleep.  99 

required  to  store  up  oxygen  for  use  during  the 
day ;  to  give  nature  an  opportunity  to  remove 
some  of  the  debris  from  broken-down  tissue ;  and, 
not  least  important,  to  rebuild  the  used-up  tissues. 

IMPERFECT    SLEEP. 

Why  do  we  sometimes  wake,  after  a  long 
sleep,  only  half  rested,  and  with  a  very  irritable 
nervous  system  ? 

Ans.  It  may  be  because  the  air  of  the  room 
is  bad,  too  little  oxygen  is  taken  up,  and  too 
much  carbonic  acid  breathed ;  it  may  be  because 
the  blood  is  not  rich  enough  in  substances  which 
are  needed  to  repair  the  worn-out  tissue.  In 
Buch  case  the  remedy  is  apparent. 

EAPID    MOVEMENTS. 

Are  rapid  movements  and  fast  thinking  more 
exhausting  to  the  brain  than  slow  ones  ? 

A71S.  Yes.  If  you  double  the  speed  of  any 
work,  you  require  quadruple  force  to  keep  it  up. 
Kervous  persons  should  train  themselves  to  work 
slowly. 

COLD   BATHING. 

Is  cold  bathing  good  for  nervous  people  ? 
Ans.  Sometimes  a  weak,  cold-blooded  person 


"mtK>"*  OF  REMANDS  UBRm 

100        Important  Questions  Answered. 

is  made  nervous  by  long-continued  cold  baths. 
They  abstract  more  heat  than  he  can  spare.  To 
such,  tepid  or  warm  baths  are  preferable. 

SLEEPLESSNESS. 

Why  is  it  bo  hard  for  nervous  persons  to  get 
to  sleep  after  any  excitement  ? 

Ans.  Because  the  vaso-motor  nerves  cannot 
quickly  contract  the  cerebral  arteries  and  empty 
them  of  blood.  All  such  should  spend  their 
evenings  quietly,  and  take  a  hot  foot-bath,  or 
sitting-bath,  before  retiring.  A  little  nourishing 
food  before  going  to  bed  is  also  often  useful.  It 
attracts  to  the  stomach  that  blood  which  swells 
the  cerebral  arteries.  If  one  cannot  go  to  sleep 
then,  it  is  sometimes  a  good  thing  to  take  a 
mouthful  of  hard,  dry,  raw  wheat  into  the  mouth 
and  give  yourself  up  to  chewing  it  fine.  This 
will  take  the  attention  from  thought,  and 
often  bring  sleep.  Another  good  method  is  to 
have  some  one  give  gentle  percussion  with  the 
hands  over  the  small  of  the  back  and  hips.  If 
rightly  done,  this  is  very  soothing  and  useful. 

FAST   EATING. 

Why  do  nervous  persons  find  it  so  hard  to 
eat  slowly  ? 


Mental  Overstrain  of  Merchants.      101 

Ans.  Because  they  are  nervous.  The  rem- 
edy is  in  a  resolute  determination  to  correct 
the  habit. 

NERVOUSNESS    OF    MERCHANTS. 

"What  bankrupts  the  nervous  system  of  our 
merchants  more  than  anything  else  ? 

Ans.  A  restless  ambition  to  become  rich 
leads  men  to  enlarge  their  business  to  unsound 
and  unsafe  proportions,  and  to  embark  in  en- 
terprises and  speculations  outside  of  their  legiti- 
mate sphere,  which,  almost  without  exception, 
prove  disastrous.  These  cause  that  anxiety  of 
mind  and  loss  of  sleep  which  break  down  the 
nervous  system  prematurely. 

MENTAL    OVERSTRAIN    OF    MERCHANTS. 

How  is  the  merchant  to  avoid  that  mental 
overstrain  which  comes  from  great  competi- 
tion in   business  ? 

Ans.  By  organizing  his  business  on  a  basis 
that  will  enable  him  to  stand  all  honest  competi- 
tion without  serious  injury.  A  merchant  who 
thoroughly  understands  his  business,  having  the 
means  and  brains  to  organize  it  properly  and  the 
ability  to  manage  it  successfully,  need  have  no 
fear  of  competition.     The  anxiety  of  business 


102       Important   Questions  Answered. 

men  is  caused  not  so  much  by  competition  as  by 
errors  of  judgment  in  making  purchases  and  ex- 
tending credits,  or  in  bad  management.  Mer- 
chants who  manage  with  economy,  buying  wisely 
and  employing  the  best  means  for  selling  their 
goods,  need  have  no  anxiety  as  to  the  result.  A 
wealthy  merchant  is  reported  to  have  answered 
the  question,  "How  did  you  make  your  fortune  ?" 
by  saying,  "  Buying  low  and  selling  high."  It 
does  not  follow,  however,  that  a  merchant  must 
sell  his  goods  at  a  large  profit  to  succeed  in  busi- 
ness. But  as  a  general  rule  it  may  be  truly  said 
that  selling  goods  without  a  profit  is  a  sure  indi- 
cation of  coming  bankruptcy.  It  was  discovered 
in  the  trade  in  1876-7  that  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  respectable  houses  in  this  city  was  selling 
many  goods  at  their  actual  cost,  and  nearly 
everything  in  their  line  at  a  margin  that  would 
hardiy  pay  the  cost  of  selling ;  and  although  this 
house  held  a  position  among  the  first,  and  bore  a 
good  reputation  of  many  years'  standing,  yet 
it  proved  no  exception  to  the  rule  mentioned,  for 
it  soon  failed  and  compromised  at  thirty  cents 
on  a  dollar. 

MENTAL    HYGIENE    FOK    THE    AGED. 

How  are  old  people  to  keep  the  mind  from 


Amusements.  103 

failing,  and  even  becoming  obliterated,  before 
the  body  is  worn  out  ? 

Arts.  Only  by  cultivating  it.  As  people 
groT;  old  they  should  work  less,  and  read,  study 
and  think  more.  The  reason  why  so  many  aged 
people  have  a  blank  where  there  should  be  a 
mind  is  generally  because  the  latter  is  not  kept 
alive  and  active  by  culture.  The  rust  gets  so 
thick  that  thoughts  cannot  be  formed. 

AMUSEMENTS. 

What  is  the  effect  of  recreation  and  amuse- 
ment on  the  health  of  the  mind  ? 

Ans.  It  is  of  the  highest  importance  that 
invalids,  students,  brain-workers,  old  and  young, 
in  all  positions  of  life,  have  some  recreation,  some 
wholesome  amusement.  How  it  is  to  be  pro- 
vided, each  person  must  decide  for  himself. 
Some  will  choose  one  method,  some  another. 
As  a  rule,  for  sedentary  persons,  out-of-door 
amusements,  when  the  weather  permits,  are 
preferable,  because  they  bring  the  body  into  the 
air  and  sunlight. 

Hunting  and  fishing  will  do  well  for  cer- 
tain seasons  of  the  year,  and  for  those  who  like 
these  6ports,  but  they  are  not  well  adapted  to 


104       Important  Questions  Answered. 

women  and  children.  Zoology,  field  botany, 
mineralogy,  entomology,  geology,  natural  his- 
tory, etc.,  are  agreeable  forms  of  amusement 
for  a  large  class  of  both  sexes ;  garden  work  for 
another  class.  Mechanical  work  is  a  form  of 
recreation  well  adapted  to  those  who  have  me- 
chanical genius.  Horseback-riding  and  rowing 
are  among  the  very  best  of  means  for  resting  the 
mind  and  strengthening  the  body.  Out-of-door 
sports  of  all  kinds  have  their  place  and  use.  For 
indoor  recreation,  vocal  and  instrumental  music 
stand  highest,  and  every  person  ought  to  learn 
to  sing  and  play  on  some  instrument,  so  that 
he  may  have  that  pleasure  which  grows  out  of 
musical  culture.  Vocal  music  has  special  value 
for  expanding  the  chest,  and  filling  the  lungs 
with  air,  and  for  quickening  the  circulation 
and  digestion,  and  calling  the  mind  away  from 
care,  trouble  and  despondent  moods,  which 
more  or  less  annoy  the  lives  of  the  best  of 
people.  Music  has  another  advantage:  it  is 
adapted  to  so  many  persons,  of  both  sexes; 
and  those  who  cannot  take  a  part  in  making 
it  can  derive  pleasure  from  listening  to  it. 
Heading  aloud,  and   especially   declaiming,  is, 


Amusements  in   Germany.  105 

like  music,  exceedingly  valuable  to  those  who 
have  weak  lungs. 

Playing  with  children  is  a  form  of  recrea- 
tion of  very  high  value  to  those  who  really  love 
these  pure,  beautiful  creatures,  but  one  must  get 
on  their  level  to  be  able  to  give  them  as  much 
pleasure  as  he  receives.  The  reading  of  humor- 
ous books  and  funny  stories  and  anecdotes  may 
be  classed  as  a  species  of  recreation  which  should 
not  be  forgotten.  Story-telling,  and  anything 
that  causes  healthful  laughter,  should  be  cultiva- 
ted as  a  means  of  mental  hygiene.  No  form  of 
amusement  should  be  carried  to  excess,  for  this 
defeats  the  end  for  which  it  is  designed,  and  de- 
bilitates the  nervous  system  instead  of  strength- 
ening it.  Especially  should  nervously-exhausted 
people  choose  their  amusement  wisely  and  well, 
so  they  may  receive  good  rather  than  evil. 

AMUSEMENTS    IN    GERMANY. 

What  is  the  influence  of  popular  amuse- 
ments upon  the  health  and  character  of  the 
Germans  ? 

Ans.  The  influence  is  certainly  good  here, 
as  everywhere,  so  far  as  amusements  are  con- 
ducted in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  health ; 


106       Important  Questions  Answered, 

but  to  answer  the  question  fully  one  must  have 
an  insight  into  the  German  character.  There  is 
a  marked  difference  between  the  manner  in 
which  amusements  are  regarded  and  provided 
for  in  Germany  and  in  America.  We  are  in- 
clined to  ignore  amusements  or  to  regard  them 
merely  as  something  to  be  tolerated  but  not  ex- 
pressly provided  for.  This  at  least  was  the  view 
of  the  Puritan  Fathers,  and  the  gradual  introduc- 
tion of  popular  and  social  amusements  in  New 
England  as  elsewhere  among  us  has  been  re- 
garded with  jealousy  by  all  those  retaining  the 
original  feeling  concerning  them. 

In  Germany,  however,  amusements  such  as 
dancing,  card-playing  and  theater-going  have 
never  been  forbidden  by  the  Church  or  by  pub- 
lic sentiment  in  any  form,  and  it  has  always 
been  the  especial  care  of  kings  and  others  in 
authority  to  provide  as  regularly  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  populace  as  for  any  other  recognized 
public  necessity.  A  German  prince,  to  make 
himself  and  his  family  popular,  will  build  an  ele- 
gant theater,  and  often,  as  in  Hanover,  require 
all  military  officers  to  attend,  deducting  the 
small  admission  fee  from  their  pay.  The  theater 
is  thus  made  a  brilliant  and  popular  resort,  and 


Amusements  in  Germany.  107 

brought  under  the  influence  of  the  clergy  and 
of  the  refined  and  moral  classes  who  attend  it. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Germany  the  same 
general  theory  of  amusements  is  apparent. 
Physical  and  mental  relaxation  are  systematic- 
ally provided  for,  and  the  teachers  enter  into 
and  share  them  heartily  with  their  pupils. 
Every  teacher  can  sing,  and  most  can  play  upon 
some  musical  instrument.  When  the  children 
become  restless,  the  teacher,  instead  of  scolding 
them,  will  often  take  his  violin  and  lead  them  in 
a  lively  song,  combined,  perhaps,  with  marching 
or  other  physical  exercises.  The  military  taste 
of  the  Germans  enters  largely  into  all  these 
amusements.  At  recess,  in  many  schools,  the 
teacher  goes  with  the  boys  to  the  playground 
and  conducts  a  military  drill.  At  other  times 
a  teacher  may  be  seen  marching  through  the 
streets  at  the  head  of  his  pupils  on  the  way  to 
the  public-school  gymnasium,  where  the  exer- 
cises of  swinging,  leaping,  marching,  etc.,  are 
conducted  with  military  precision  and  with  a 
spirit  and  energy  scarcely  to  be  found  else- 
where. 

In  all  this,  as  throughout  the  entire  system 
of  German   amusements,  it  is  important  to  ob- 


108       Important  Questions  Answered. 

serve  that  with  the  amusement  there  is  usually 
associated  some  form  of  instruction.  The  Ger- 
man mind  easily  submits  to  having  its  sports 
thus  regulated  and  controlled  for  a  useful  pur- 
pose, and  hence  it  would  be  easier  in  Germany 
than  in  almost  any  other  country  to  establish  a 
system  of  combined  physical  and  mental  hygiene 
alike  for  children  and  adults ;  and  this  is  being 
done  through  such  agencies  as  the  Kindergar- 
ten and  the  now  popular  Volkserziehungs  Ge- 
selschaften  (Societies  for  Popular  Instruction). 
Such  being  the  character  of  German  amuse- 
ments, we  may  well  say  that  they  have  a  most 
beneficial  influence  upon  the  health  of  the  peo- 
ple. Only  where  they  go  beyond  reasonable 
limits,  and  are  associated  with  beer  drinking  or 
other  excesses,  can  they  be  regarded  as  in  any 
manner  prejudicial  either  to  health  or  good 
morals.  An  American  in  Germany  will  indeed 
find  occasion  for  unfavorable  criticism,  but  if  he 
be  devoid  of  narrow  prejudices  he  cannot  fail 
to  find  much  worthy  of  imitation,  and  this 
especially  in  the  matter  of  popular  amusements ; 
for  we  may  wisely  accept  all  that  is  good  in  this 
sturdy  and  heroic  race,  while  avoiding  whatever 
may  be  found  objectionable. 


Nervousness  in  Women.  109 

UNSUSPECTED   CAUSES  OF  SOME  OF  THE  NERVOUSNESS 
IN  WOMEN. 

What  are  some  of  the  unsuspected  causes 
of  nervousness  in  women  ? 

A ns.  Dr.  Abby  Cutter,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  a 
thoughtful  and  earnest  physician,  enumerates  a 
few  of  these  in  a  letter  too  long  for  insertion 
here;  but  the  following  synopsis  gives  its 
chief  points : 

1.  Self-abuse  and  secret  vice  on  the  part  of 
girls — a  habit  dangerous  and  exhausting,  and 
leading  to  a  complete  ruin  of  the  nervous 
system. 

2.  The  employment  of  male  physicians  by 
sensitive  and  timid  women  at  childbirth  and  in 
the  treatment  of  diseases  peculiar  to  their  sex,  is 
sometimes  a  cause  of  nervous  disease. 

3.  The  excitements  incident  to  the  wedding- 
day  and  the  long  wedding-journeys  connected 
with  it,  have  made  many  nervous  invalids.  The 
practice  of  making  wedding-journeys,  she  thinks, 
should  be  given  up  entirely.  Cases  in  her  own 
experience  as  a  physician,  where  delicate  women 
have  suffered  from  invalidism  all  their  lives  from 
this  cause  alone,  have  proved  to  her  satisfaction 


110       Important  Questions  Answered. 

that  this  is   a  more  frequent  cause  of  nervous 
diseases  than  is  generally  known. 

4.  Another  cause  is  lack  of  harmony  and 
adaptation  between  husband  and  wife,  each 
making  the  other  nervous  and  unhappy  when 
they  should  do  the  reverse. 

5.  Excessive  childbearing  is  still  another 
cause,  especially  when  coupled  with  other  cares 
that  break  down  the  general  health. 

6.  Errors  of  dress  are  causes  of  nervousness 
in  women  in  very  many  ways.  If  they  would 
dress  for  comfort  and  health,  many  nervous 
troubles  would  flee  away  as  the  morning  dew 
before  a  bright  sun. 

7.  Lack  of  mental  exercise  is  also  a  serious 
cause  of  nervousness,  to  be  remedied  only  by 
proper  mental  culture. 

NERVOUS    CHILDREN. 

What  is  the  cause  of  so  much  nervousness  in 
children  ? 

Ans.  The  causes  are  too  many  to  enumerate 
in  this  connection,  but  the  following  may  be 
mentioned  as  the  chief: 

1.  Nervousness  inherited  from  nervous,  dys- 
peptic, scrofulous  and  debilitated  parents.     Only 


Climate  and  Nervousness.  Ill 

the  wisest   course    of   care    and    education  will 
cure  them. 

2.  Nervousness  from  the  presence  in  the  in- 
testinal canal  of  crude,  half-digested  food,  or 
from  worms.  In  very  young  children  this  is 
common.  The  food  in  such  cases  should  be 
bland  and  nutritious.  Bread  and  milk  and 
fruits  are  best  for  them. 

3.  Scrofula  is  a  cause  of  nervousness  in 
young  children  and  in  those  who  have  a  scrofu- 
lous constitution  ;  the  physical  culture  should  be 
attended  to  with  the  greatest  care,  and  a  chance 
given  for  them  to  outgrow  it.  The  art  of  phys- 
ical education  is  almost  unknown  in  America, 
and  this  is  a  grave  misfortune.  Our  schools  often 
make  children  nervous  and  scrofulous,  when 
they  should  cure  both  conditions.  Parents, 
teachers  and  physicians  are  to  blame  for  this. 
The  only  remedy  is  a  wise  hygiene  applied  to 
the  education  of  the  young  from  the  time  of 
conception  till  they  are  old  enough  to  become 
their  own  masters. 

CLIMATE    AND   NERVOUSNESS. 

Has  climate  any  influence  in  causing  or 
curing  nervousness  ? 


112       Important  Questions  Answered. 

Aiis.  What  is  called  a  stimulating  climate 
is  apt  to  aggravate  nervousness.  We  have  an 
English  friend  who  spends  much  time  in  Amer- 
ica, and  his  great  complaint  is  that  our  climate 
makes  him  so  nervous  that  he  can  hardly  con- 
trol himself.  He  has  to  take  frequent  trips  to 
some  region  where  the  air  is  moist,  so  his 
nerves  may  become  quiet.  The  climate  of  Col- 
orado, which  is  clear  and  bracing,  aggravates 
nervousness.  Oregon,  on  the  contrary,  has  a 
moister  air  and  less  sunshine,  and  here  a  friend, 
who  suffered  from  an  overtaxed  brain  while 
living  in  California,  found  the  climate  favor- 
able to  sleep,  and  his  nervousness  was  very 
much  diminished.  Nervous,  restless,  overworked 
people  often  find  the  climate  of  Florida  quiet- 
ing to  their  overtaxed  nerves. 

NERVOUS    EXHAUSTION    OF    TEACHERS. 

What  are  the  causes  of  the  nervous  exhaus- 
tion so  common  among  teachers  ? 

Ans.  This  exhaustion  is  peculiar  to  Ameri- 
can teachers,  and  seems  to  be  the  natural  result 
of  the  general  nervousness  of  the  American 
people.  Not  only  are  our  teachers  peculiarly 
liable  to  nervous  irritability,  but  the  same  men- 


Nervous  Exhaustion  of  Teachers.     113 

tal  constitution  in  the  children  causes  them  to 
be  far  more  restless,  and  hence  disorderly,  in 
school  than  are  children  in  most  European 
countries.  Teaching  is  in  itself  not  exhausting. 
To  those  having  a  natural  aptitude  for  it,  it 
is  a  most  delightful  and  healthful  occupation. 
American  teachers  are  worn  out  not  by  teach- 
ing, but  by  governing,  their  pupils. 

In  Germany  teaching  is  not  regarded  as 
wearing  upon  the  nervous  system.  In  visiting 
schools  there  we  frequently  found  those  who  had 
taught  without  interruption  from  early  manhood 
to  the  age  of  forty-five  or  fifty,  with  no  apparent 
injury  to  health  and  not  the  slightest  indication 
of  nervous  exhaustion.  We  well  remember  a 
hale  and  vigorous  old  gentleman  of  sixty  in  one 
of  the  public  schools  of  Berlin  who  had  taught 
in  the  same  capacity  for  thirty-five  years.  His 
pupils  were  boys  from  twelve  to  sixteen  years 
of  age ;  and  the  reason  he  had  not  been  worn 
out  was,  not  only  that  he  was  less  nervous  than 
most  American  teachers,  but,  still  more  impor- 
tant for  him,  that  his  pupils  were  not  nervous 
or  irritable.  We  asked  another  such  teacher,  one 
whose  service  in  a  boys'  primary  school  had 
extended  from  the  age   of  twenty  to  about  forty 


114       Important  Questions  Answered. 

years,  how  he  managed  to  govern  his  pupils  so 
easily ;  to  which  he  replied,  as  though  it  were 
the  simplest  thing  in  the  world,  "  When  the 
children  come  to  school  for  the  first  time,  we 
tell  them  the  rules,  and  they  always  obey  them." 
Now,  we  would  not  say  that  those  children  were 
better  than  American  children,  but  rather  that 
they  were  less  nervous,  and  hence  the  tempta- 
tion to  disorder  is  with  them  far  less.  The 
German  teacher  has  another  advantage  in  the 
fact  that  he  continues  for  a  long  time  in  the 
same  grade  of  schools,  and  thus  becomes  so 
familiar  with  his  particular  routine  of  duties 
that  he  requires  to  spend  no  time  out  of  school 
in  exhausting  study,  but  devotes  his  evenings  to 
social  recreation,  or  to  such  mental  culture  as 
is  most  agreeable.  He  is  not  continually  strug- 
gling for  a  higher  position  in  the  school  or  for 
Borne  other  profession.  He  teaches  quietly, 
and,  as  it  would  seem  to  us,  monotonously,  year 
after  year,  until  retired,  at  last,  upon  a  life 
pension. 

But  while  there  is  much  less  of  nervousness 
in  a  German  than  in  an  American  school,  there 
is  no  lack  of  strength  or  industry.  Everything 
moves   on   with  military  precision,   and  with  a 


A  Word  from  Brovm-Sequard.       115 

sort  of  rugged  energy  that  carries  all  before  it, 
and  that  crushes  opposition,  but  does  not  scold 
or  fret  at  it.  In  America  there  are  a  larger 
proportion  of  female  teachers  than  in  any  other 
country,  and,  as  women  are  more  sensitive  and 
more  easily  annoyed  than  men,  the  position  of  a 
teacher  in  America  is  to  them  peculiarly  trying. 
The  advice  of  Dr.  Clarke,  of  Boston,  regarding 
the  care  of  woman's  health,  is,  of  all  places  in 
the  world,  most  applicable  to  American  female 
teachers. 

The  remedy  for  restlessness  on  the  part  of 
scholars  and  nervous  exhaustion  on  the  part  of 
teachers  is  to  be  sought  in  that  general  building 
up  of  the  system  and  broadening  of  the  charac- 
ter which  is  to  result  from  a  wise  system  of 
physical  culture.  The  constitutional  nervousness 
and  consequent  premature  exhaustion  of  Amer- 
icans as  a  race  has  been  at  its  worst,  and  we  are 
now  progressing  toward  a  healthier  and  stronger 
life. 

A    WORD    FROM    BROWN-SEQUARD. 

What  are  the  best  rules  for  regulating  the 
health  of  the  brain  ? 

Arts.  Brown-Sequard  says  that  "nerve  force 
is  produced  through  blood.      It    is  a  chemical 


116       Important  Questions  Answered. 

force  which  is  transformed  there  into  nerve  force. 
This  nerve  force  accumulates  in  the  various  or- 
gans of  the  nervous  system  in  which  it  is  formed 
during  rest.  But  if  rest  be  prolonged,  then  it 
ceases  to  be  produced.  Alteration  cakes  place 
in  the  part  which  is  not  put  to  work.  On  the 
other  hand,  action,  which  is  so  essential  to  the 
production  of  nerve  force,  if  prolonged,  will  ex- 
haust force  also,  but  produce  a  state  distinct  from 
that  of  rest.  Over-rest  will  produce  a  lack  of 
blood,  while  over-action  may  produce  congestion. 
The  great  thing,  therefore,  is  to  have  sufficient 
but  not  excessive  action. 

There  is  another  law,  which  is,  that  we  should 
not  exercise  alone  one,  two,  or  three  of  the  great 
parts  of  the  nervous  system  ;  since  thus  we  draw 
blood  to  those  parts  only,  and  the  other  parts  of 
the  body  suffer.  In  the  due  exercise  of  all  our 
organs  are  to  be  found  the  principal  rules  of 
hygiene. 

To  conclude  with  these  great  rules  of  hygiene, 
I  should  say  that  we  should  not  spend  more 
nervous  force  than  our  means  allow  us.  Many 
commit  this  fault.  We  should  make  an  equal 
use  of  all  our  organs,  and  of  the  various  parts 
of  the    nervous    system.     Those    who   employ 


A  Word  from  Brown- Sequard.       117 

the  brain  suffer  a  great  deal  from  inattention  to 
this  law. 

Lastly,  there  should  be  regularity  as  regards 
the  time  of  meals,  the  time  and  amount  of  action, 
the  time  and  amount  of  sleep — regularity  in 
everything.  It  is  very  difficult  indeed  to  ob- 
tain it.  But  there  is  in  our  nature  more  power 
than  we  know,  and  if  we  conform  ourselves  to 
the  law  of  habit  things  will  soon  go  on  without 
our  meddling  with  them,  and  we  come  to  be 
perfectly  regular,  although  we  perhaps  had 
naturally  a  tendency  quite  the  reverse. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"What  our  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

expectant  attention. 

The  influence  of  expectant  attention  in  mod- 
ifying nutrition  and  secretion  is  no  less  remark- 
able than  we  have  seen  it  to  be  in  producing 
muscular  movements.  The  direction  of  the  at- 
tention to  a  part  is  sufficient  to  call  forth  sens- 
ations in  it ;  and  if  this  be  kept  up,  it  may 
produce  a  change  of  functional  action  and 
the  nutrition  of  the  part.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  but  real  disease  may  be  caused  by  the 
indulgence  of  the  hypochondriacal  tendency  to 
dwell  upon  uneasy  sensations.  This  persist- 
ent direction  of  the  attention  has  a  much 
stronger  effect  when  there  is  an  expectation 
of  a  particular  result.  Thus  it  happens  that 
the   spells  of  pretenders    to    occult   powers,  in 


Expectant  Attention.  119 

all  ages  and  nations,  often  produce  the  pre- 
dicted maladies  in  those  subjects  who  are 
credulous  enough  to  believe  in  them.  This 
was  formerly  the  case  among  the  negroes  of 
the  West  Indies,  who  practiced  on  one  an- 
other a  species  of  African  witchcraft,  called 
obeah.  Whenever  a  victim  became  fixed 
in  the  belief  that  an  obi  had  been  put 
upon  him  by  some  old  man  or  woman  who 
possessed  the  power,  there  was  a  slow  pining 
away,  death  being  a  not  uncommon  result. 
So  great  was  the  dread  of  these  spells  that 
the  mere  threat  of  one  party  to  a  quarrel  to 
put  obi  on  the  other  was  often  sufficient 
to  terrify  the  latter  into  submission.  Even 
among  the  better  instructed,  a  fixed  belief 
that  a  mental  disease  had  seized  upon  the 
person,  or  that  a  particular  course  of  treat- 
ment would  prove  successful,  has  been  the 
occasion    of   a   fatal   result. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  same  mental  state 
may  operate  beneficially  in  checking  the 
morbid  action  and  restoring  a  healthy  state. 
The  confident  expectation  of  a  cure  is  the 
most  potent  means  of  bringing  it  about, 
doing     what    no    medical    treatment    can    ac- 


120     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

complish,  as  may  be  affirmed  by  an  expe- 
rience extending  through  ages. — William  B. 
Carpenter,  M.D.,  F.RS. 

NORMALLY    DEVELOPED    BRAINS. 

Unless  men  and  woman  both  have  nor- 
mally developed  brains,  the  nation  will  go 
down.  As  good  a  brain  is  needed  to  gov- 
ern a  household  as  to  command  a  ship ;  to 
guide  a  family  aright  as  to  guide  a  con- 
gress aright ;  to  do  the  least  and  the  great- 
est of  woman's  work  as  to  do  the  least  and 
greatest  of  man's  work.  Moreover,  in  both 
sexes,  the  brain  is  the  conservator  of  strength 
and  prolonger  of  life.  It  is  not  only  the 
organ  of  intellection,  volition,  and  spiritual 
power,  but  the  force  evolved  from  it,  more 
than  the  force  evolved  from  any  other  organ, 
enables  men  and  women  to  bear  the  burdens, 
and  perform  the  duties,  of  life;  and  with  its 
aid,  better  than  with  any  surgery,  can  they 
overcome  the  "ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to." — 
Edward  H.  Clarke,  M.D. 

ALCOHOL   ENFEEBLES    THE   REASON. 

If,  then,  alcohol  enfeebles  the  reason,  what 
part   of  the    mental     constitution    does   it   ex- 


Women  and  Brain  Labor.  121 

alt  and  excite  ?  It  exalts  and  excites  those 
animal,  organic,  emotional  centers  of  mind 
which,  in  the  dual  nature  of  man,  so  often  cross 
and  oppose  that  pure  and  abstract  reasoning 
nature  which  lifts  man  above  the  lower  animals, 
and,  rightly  exercised,  places  him  little  lower 
than  the  angels.  Exciting  these  animal  centers, 
it  lets  loose  all  the  passions,  and  gives  them 
more  or  less  of  unlicensed  domination  over  the 
whole  man.  It  excites  anger,  and  when  it  does 
not  lead  to  this  extreme  it  keeps  the  mind  fret- 
ful, irritable,  dissatisfied,  captious.  The  flushed 
face  of  the  red-hot  angry  man,  how  like  it 
is  to  the  flushed  face  of  the  man  in  the  first 
stage  of  alcoholic  intoxication.  The  face,  white 
with  rage,  and  the  tremulous,  agitated  mus- 
cles of  the  body,  how  like  both  are  to  the 
pale  face  and  helpless  muscles  of  the  man 
deep  in  intoxication  from  alcohol.  The  states 
are  not  simply  similar,  they  are  identical,  and 
the  one  will  feed  the  other. — Benj.  TV.  Rich- 
ardson, M.D.,  F.R.S. 

WOMEN  AND  BRAIN  LABOR. 

"We  have  heard  a  great  deal  of  late  of 
the  danger  to  women's  health  of  over-mental 
strain    of    intellectual    labor.     I     do     not    say 


122      What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

there  is  never  danger  in  this  direction,  that 
girls  never  study  too  much  or  too  early,  or 
that  the  daughters  of  women  who  have  never 
used  their  brains  may  not  have  inherited 
rather  soft  and  tender  organs  of  cogitation  to 
start  with.  I  am  no  enthusiast  for  excessive 
book  learning  for  either  women  or  men, 
though  in  books  read  and  books  written  I 
have  found  some  of  the  chief  pleasures  of  a 
happy  life.  But  of  one  thing  I  am  sure,  and 
that  is,  that  for  one  woman  whose  health  is 
injured  by  excessive  study  (that  is,  by  study 
itself,  not  the  baneful  anxiety  of  examination 
superadded  to  study),  there  are  hundreds 
whose  health  is  deteriorated  by  want  of 
wholesome  mental  exercise.  Sometimes  the 
vacuity  in  the  brains  of  girls  simply  leaves 
them  dull  and  spiritless.  More  often  in  those 
swept  and  empty  chambers  of  their  skulls 
enter   many   small   imps  of   evil    omen. 

Let  women  have  larger  interests  and  no- 
bler pursuits,  and  their  affections  will  become, 
not  less  strong  and  deep,  but  less  sickly,  less 
craving  for  demonstrative  tenderness  in  return, 
less  variable  in  their  manifestations.  Let 
women     have     sounder     mental     culture,     and 


Man's  and  Woman's  Brain.  123 

their  emotions — so  long  exclusively  fostered — 
will  return  to  the  calmness  of  health,  and 
we  shall  hear  no  more  of  the  intermittent 
feverish  spirits,  the  causeless  depressions,  and 
all  the  long  train  of  symptoms  which  belong 
to  the  Protean-formed  hysteria,  and  open  the 
way  to  madness  on  one  side  and  to  sin  on 
the   other. — Frances  Power  Cobbe. 


There  is  a  natural  difference  between  the 
two  sexes ;  not  in  the  number,  but  in  the 
degrees,  of  the  primitive  powers  of  the  mind. 
Some  are  stronger  in  women,  others  stronger 
in  men,  and  both  sexes  seem  to  be  destined 
to  different  occupations  in  society.  Indeed 
no  education  will  change  the  nature  of  the 
innate  dispositions.  Let,  then,  each  sex,  and 
each  individual,  be  cultivated  and  employed 
in  those  things  for  which  they  are  fit.  The 
claim  to  justice  and  merit  is  equal  in  man 
and  woman;  their  duties  only  are  different. 
Females  are  not  destined  in  any  circumstances 
to  be  slaves,  or  mere  patient  drudges,  nor 
are  their  duties  limited  to  those  of  chaste 
wives    and    good    managers   of    their    families 


124     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

only :  women  are  required  also  to  direct  the 
education  of  their  children,  and  to  be  agreeable 
and  intelligent  companions  to  their  husbands. 
Let  their  understandings  be  cultivated  by  use- 
ful knowledge;  by  the  study  of  the  human 
mind,  and  the  principles  of  education,  and  of 
their  duties  in  the  direction  of  their  families; 
let  their  intellects  be  improved  by  the  study 
of  history  and  of  arts  and  sciences.  Girls 
commonly  learn  only  objects  of  secondary  im- 
portance, mere  accomplishments ;  and,  hence, 
when  they  arrive  at  the  age  of  being  united 
to  a  husband,  they  are  seldom  capable  of 
supporting  permanent  friendship,  by  the  ele- 
vation of  their  minds,  and  the  steady  prac- 
tice of  the  domestic  virtues.  Many  do  not 
know  how  to  guide  themselves,  and  still  less 
their  offspring,  their  servants,  and  household 
affairs.  Indeed,  if  the  fair  sex  go  on  as  they 
have  done  hitherto,  they  cannot  repine  that 
they  have  no  share  in  political  concerns.  If 
their  minds  do  not  take  a  more  serious  and 
more  solid  turn,  they  may  govern  in  draw- 
ing-rooms, where  delicate  feelings  and  polite 
manners   are   attended   to,  but   they  will  have 


Rejuvenating  Power  of  Sleep.        125 

no    permanent    influence    on    the   laws   of  so- 
ciety.— G.  Spurzheim,  M.D. 

REJUVENATING   POWER    OF    SLEEP. 

Sleep  is  the  great  rejuvenator  of  the  nerv- 
ous energies,  the  winder  up  of  force  in  the 
nervous  coils  of  the  brain,  which  gives  a  good 
running  power  for  the  day.  Deprive  the  brain 
of  the  time  required  for  the  restoration  of 
its  energies,  and  there  is  experienced  at  first 
a  dull,  heavy,  inert  feeling,  often  accompanied 
by  headache  and  a  lifeless,  unrested  condi- 
tion of  the  whole  body.  Continue  this  longer, 
and  more  serious  evidences  of  mischief  begin 
to  be  manifested.  The  state  of  the  blood,  the 
time  of  life,  and  the  inherent  strength  or 
weakness  of  the  nervous  system,  determine 
the  nature  of  the  mischief  which  prolonged 
lack  of  sufficient  sleep  brings  on.  In  very 
young  persons,  convulsions,  congestions,  and 
acute  inflammation  of  the  brain  are  very  likely 
to  occur ;  but  when  the  lack  of  sleep  is  not 
so  great,  but  more  protracted,  the  child  either 
acquires  a  stupid,  listless  manner,  or  a  very 
irritable,  nervous  one,  bordering  upon  actual 
disease.     Later  in   life,   the    deprivation   of  an 


126     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

adequate  amount  of  sleep,  keeping  the  brain 
in  a  state  of  forced  activity,  its  tissues  be- 
come redder  than  natural,  and  various  uneasy 
sensations  are  felt  in  the  head,  of  a  dull, 
heavy  character,  bordering  upon  acute  pain. 
Connected  thought  becomes  almost  impossible, 
and  the  entire  body  sympathizes  and  suffers 
by  the  lack  of  nervous  tone.  If  yet  further 
prolonged,  the  slight  derangement  passes  into 
actual  disease;  in  those  with  impure  blood 
into  a  low  form  of  nervous  fever  with  de- 
lirium ;  and  in  those  with  pure  blood,  into 
acute  insanity,  congestion,  and  softening  of 
the  brain,  or  into  an  attack  of  apoplexy,  or 
paralysis. — J.  R.  Black,  M.D. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL    EFFECTS    OF    EXCESSIVE   BKAIN 
LABOR. 

Several  years  ago,  desiring  to  ascertain  the 
effects  of  excessive  mental  labor  upon  the  brain 
as  indicated  by  the  excretion  of  urine,  I  per- 
formed a  series  of  experiments  upon  myself 
by  which  it  was  clearly  ascertained  that  the 
solid  matter  eliminated  by  the  kidneys  was 
notably  increased  in  direct  relation  with  the 
extent  to  which  the  brain  was  worked.  All 
this  was,  for   the  time  being,  at  least,  within 


Training  Both  Sides  of  the  Brain.     127 

the  limits  of  health.  But  by  persevering  with 
the  experiments,  and  carrying  the  mental  ex- 
ertion to  a  still  higher  point,  a  stage  would 
have  been  reached  at  which  the  decomposi- 
tion of  brain  substance  would  have  been 
greater  than  the  formative  processes,  and  then 
disease  would  have  existed.  I  would  have 
been  living,  as  it  were,  on  my  brain  capital, 
instead  of  the  income,  and  brain  bankruptcy 
would  have  been  only  a  question  of  time, 
just  as  it  is  in  financial  matters.  This  is 
exactly  what  people  do  with  their  brains  con- 
tinually. Overwork  causes  them  to  use  up 
their  brains  faster  than  they  make  them,  and, 
as  a  consequence,  that  organ,  which  of  all 
others  it  is  essential  to  keep  in  a  healthy  con- 
dition, becomes  the  seat  of  serious  disease. 
— "William  A.  Hammond,  M.D. 

TRAINING    BOTH    SIDES    OF    THE    BRAIN. 

A  greater  supply  of  blood  to  the  left 
hemisphere  incites  this  hemisphere  to  more 
brain  work,  and  the  right  side  of  the  body 
to  more  muscular  work;  but  let  the  training 
of  the  left  side  of  the  body  call  for  more 
blood,  and  the  right  hemisphere  will  soon 
receive   more   blood    and     be   better    able    to 


128     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

assist  or  supplement  the  left  in  brain  work. 
....  By  this  means  may  be  restored  to  our 
race  an  inexpensive  power,  more  permanent 
than  steam,  and  equally  applicable  to  mental 
and  physical  labor;  a  power  which,  in  many 
cases,  can  double  the  products,  and  which, 
in  all  cases,  can  save  or  economize  the  or- 
dinary one-sided  powers.  Through  the  resti- 
tution to  our  children  of  this  natural  capac- 
ity, the  diseases  and  infirmities  which  attack 
one  side  of  the  body  or  the  other  would 
become  unknown  or  rare.  More  continuous 
learning  and  thinking  could  be  accomplished, 
and  the  fatal  consequences  of  excessive  strain 
on  the  brain  would  remain  the  accidents  of 
age,  instead  of  becoming  the  ironic  rewards 
of  young,  heroic  effort.  Man  would  be  rendered 
more  serviceable  as  a  worker,  more  harmoni- 
ous in  his  movements,  and  more  delicate  and 
thorough  in  his  perceptions,  and  more  kind 
and  amiable  in  his  family  relations.  In 
short,  the  humane  temper  and  passions  would 
be  harmonized  to  a  point  which  the  mind 
cannot  foresee  to-day,  but  whose  social  con- 
sequences cannot  be  over-estimated.  It  seems 
but  yesterday  that  the  lamented  Agassiz  urged 


Blood  and  Mental  Vigor.  129 

his  pupils  of  Penikese  Island  to  become  "am- 
bidextrous," if  they  wanted  to  become  good 
naturalists ;  and  my  illustrious  friend,  Brown- 
Sequard,  proclaimed  at  his  Lowell  Institute 
lectures  "  the  equal  training  of  both  sides  in 
our  children  as  an  urgent  necessity." — Dr.  Se- 
gue*. 

amount  of  blood  necessary  to  mental  yigor. 
A  very  instructive  class  of  facts  may  be 
adduced,  connecting  mental  action  with  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  the  blood  supplied  to 
the  brain.  Ko  organ  is  active  without  blood. 
The  demand  made  by  the  brain  corresponds 
with  the  extent  and  energy  of  its  functions. 
Deficiency  in  the  circulation  is  accompanied 
with  feeble  manifestations  of  mind.  In  sleep, 
there  is  a  diminution  of  the  supply  of  arterial 
blood  to  the  brain.  General  depletion  lowers 
all  the  functions,  mind  included.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  cerebral  circulation  is  quick- 
ened, the  feelings  are  roused,  the  thoughts 
are  more  rapid,  the  volitions  more  vehement; 
great  mental  excitement  is  always  accompa 
nied  with  an  unusual  flow  of  blood,  often  out- 
wardly shown  by  the  throbbing  of  the  vessels. 


130     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

In    delirium,    the   circulation    attains    an    ex- 
traordinary pitch. — Alexander   Bain,   L.L.D. 

TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR  HEALTH. 

Let  me  utter  one  practical  word ;  take 
care  of  your  health.  There  have  been  men 
who  by  wise  attention  to  this  point  might 
have  risen  to  eminence — might  have  made 
great  discoveries,  written  great  poems,  com- 
manded armies,  or  ruled  states — but  who 
by  unwise  neglect  of  this  point  have  come 
to  nothing.  Imagine  Hercules  as  oarsman 
in  a  rotten  boat  ;  what  can  he  do  there 
but  by  the  very  force  of  his  stroke  expidite 
the  ruin  of  his  craft.  Take  care,  then,  of  the 
timbers  of  your  boat,  and  avoid  all  practices 
likely  to  introduce  either  wet  or  dry  rot 
among  them.  And  this  is  not  to  be  accom- 
plished by  desultory  or  intermittent  efforts  of 
the    will,    but    by    the    formation    of    habits. 

The  will  no  doubt  has  sometimes  to  put 
forth  its  strength  in  order  to  strangle  or 
crush  the  special  temptation.  But  the  forma- 
tion of  right  habits  is  essential  to  your  per- 
manent security.  They  diminish  your  chance 
of    falling    when   assailed,    and  they  augment 


Neuter  Verbs.  131 

your  chance  of  recovery   when   overthrown. — 
John  Tyndall,  LL.D.,  F.B.S. 

NEUTEK    VERBS. 

Of  persons  who  have  led  a  temperate 
life,  those  will  have  the  best  chance  of  lon- 
gevity who  have  done  hardly  anything  else 
but  live — what  may  be  called  the  neuter  verbs 
— not  active  or  passive,  but  only  being;  who 
have  had  little  to  do,  little  to  suffer;  but 
have  led  a  life  of  quiet  retirement,  without 
exertion  of  body  or  mind  —  avoiding  all  trou- 
blesome enterprise,  and  seeking  only  a  com- 
fortable obscurity.  Such  men,  if  of  a  pretty 
strong  constitution,  and  if  they  escape  any 
remarkable  calamities,  are  likely  to  live  long. 
But  much  affliction,  or  much  exertion,  and, 
still  more,  both  combined,  will  be  sure  to  tell 
upon  the  constitution — if  not  at  once,  yet  at 
least  as  years  advance.  One  who  is  of  the 
character  of  an  active  or  passive  verb,  or  still 
more,  both  combined,  though  he  may  be  said 
to  have  lived  long  in  everything  but  years, 
will  rarely  reach  the  age  of  the  neuters. — 
Aechbishop  Whateley. 


132     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

EXERCISING    THE   BRAIN. 

The  proper  object  of  life  is  the  develop- 
ment of  the  mind,  and  this,  the  true  end  of 
all  our  own  exertions,  should  never  be  lost, 
sight  of;  for  it  is  one  which  never  disap- 
points. It  can  only  be  attained  by  keeping 
up  the  activity  of  the  faculties ;  for  the  brain, 
as  well  as  the  muscles,  requires  constant  ex- 
ercise to  maintain  its  power :  unemployed,  it 
loses  what  it  once  possessed,  and  may  sink 
into  mediocrity  from  a  comparative  state  of 
excellence.  If  the  mind  is  altogether  absorbed 
in  the  pursuit  of  wealth,  it  gradually  loses 
all  desire  for  that  superiority  which  alone 
satisfies  its  higher  faculties.  In  the  midst 
of  those  necessary  avocations  upon  which 
the  welfare  of  our  families  depends,  we  should 
spare  some  moments  to  maintain  at  least  that 
degree  of  improvement  which  had  been  ac- 
quired; it  is  essential  to  the  general  health 
that  we  should  do  so.  We  know  that  bodily 
health  cannot  be  maintained  without  due  ex- 
ercise, neither  can  mental — they  are  mutually 
dependent — and  to  neglect  one  is  to  neglect 
the  other.  As  we  advance  in  life,  the  im- 
portance   of    a   healthy   mind  is  even   greater 


Exercising  the  Brain.  133 

than  a  healthy  body,  for  the  one  enables  us 
to  bear  the  evils  of  the  other,  and  the  de- 
cay of  the  body  precedes  that  of  the  mind. 
In  our  progress  through  this  nether  world, 
a  rightly  judging,  well-stored  mind  compen- 
sates for  many  disappointments,  and  alleviates 
the  effects  of  the  vanity  of  our  wishes ;  for 
there  are  few  who,  before  the  age  of  fifty, 
do  not  find  many  of  the  aspirations  of  early 
life,  only  vanity. 

It  is  hardly  an  exaggeration  to  assert,  that 
the  most  important  law  of  health  is  a  well- 
regulated  mind.  The  tone  of  the  mind  has 
the  most  important  influence  on  health.  If  a 
man's  pursuits  are  rational,  and  in  harmony 
with  the  laws  of  God — if  he  walks  in  the 
ways  of  wisdom,  and  his  thoughts  are  directed 
to  proper  objects — if  he  keeps  his  mind  in  an 
active  state  by  the  constant  acquisition  of 
knowledge — if  his  meditations  lead  him  to  have 
constantly  in  his  mind's  eye  that  he  is  not  a 
mere  dweller  on  earth,  but  a  being  destined 
to  exist  in  a  more  exalted  state,  where  the 
mind  which  he  is  now  educatino-  shall  live  in 
brightness  inconceivable  to  his  present  thoughts 
— the  self-satisfaction    so    produced    will   have 


134     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

the   most   exhilarating   influence  on  his  health. 
— Lionel  John  Be  ale,  M.R.C.S. 

HOW    CHANCELLOR    KENT    WAS    EDUCATED. 

I  was  brought  up  among  the  highlands 
and  hilly  parts  of  Connecticut,  and  was  never 
kept  on  the  high-pressure  plan  of  instruction. 
It  was  not  then  the  fashion.  I  went  to  school, 
and  studied  in  the  easy,  careless  way,  until  I 
went  to  college.  I  was  daily,  and  sometimes 
for  a  month  or  more,  engaged  in  juvenile 
play,  and  occasional  efforts  on  the  farm.  I 
was  roaming  over  the  fields,  and  fishing,  and 
sailing,  and  swimming,  and  riding,  and  play- 
ing ball,  so  as  not  to  be  but  very  superfi- 
cially learned^  when  I  entered  college.  I 
was  not  in  college  half  the  time.  I  was  at 
home,  at  leisure,  or  at  gentle  work,  and  much 
on  horseback,  but  never  in  the  least  dissi- 
pated. I  easily  kept  pace  with  my  class,  for 
it  was  in  the  midst  of  the  American  War, 
and  there  were  few  scholars,  nor  much  stimulus 
to  learn.  Silent  leges  inter  armas.  "When  I 
went  to  study  law,  I  had  my  own  leisure, 
and  great  exercise  and  relaxation  in  enchant- 
ing  rides,   and   home    visits,    until    I    got    to 


Origin  of  Abuse  of  the  Mind.       135 

the  bar.  I  lived  plain — drank  nothing  but 
water,  ate  heartily  of  all  plain,  wholesome 
food  that  came  in  my  way — was  delighted 
with  rural  scenery,  and  active  and  healthy  as 
I  could  be.  Here  I  laid  the  basis  of  a  sound 
constitution,  in  which  my  brain  had  not  been 
unduly  pressed  or  excited,  and  only  kept  its 
symmetry  with  the  rest  of  the  animal  sys- 
tem. It  was  not  until  I  was  twenty -four 
that  I  found  that  I  was  very  superficially 
taught,  and  then  voluntarily  betook  myself 
to  books,  and  to  learn  the  classics,  and  every- 
thing else  I  could  read.  The  ardor  and  ra- 
ft 

pidity  with  which  I  pursued  my  law  and  lit- 
erary course  were  great  and  delightful,  and 
my  health  and  spirits  were  sound  and  uni- 
form, and  neither  has  faltered,  down  to  this 
day. — Chancellor  Kent. 

ORIGIN    OF    ABUSE    OF    THE    MIND. 

The  gross  errors  committed  by  parents  in 
overworking  the  brains  of  their  offspring  has 
its  origin  in  the  false  system  of  philosophy, 
which  has  existed  from  the  time  of  Plato  to 
the  present  day,  and  by  which  the  mind  is 
regarded    as   a   separate  entity,  having  no  sort 


136     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

of  connection  with  and  being  nowise  influ- 
enced by  matter.  If  Phrenology  do  nothing 
else  than  dispel  this  preposterous  idea  it  will 
accomplish  much.  Had  this  science  been  dis- 
covered and  its  principles  acted  upon  a  thous- 
and years  ago,  what  grievous  errors  in  edu- 
cation, what  incalculable  injury  to  the  brain, 
would  have  been  avoided;  and  what  a  mass 
of  splendid  talent  which  has  been  employed 
in  bootless  metaphysical  speculations  might  have 
been  profitably  turned  into  more  useful  chan- 
nels !  So  long  as  people  were  ignorant  of  the 
fact,  that  in  this  life  the  mind  works  through 
the  agency  of  material  organs,  no  rational 
views  of  education  and  of  the  true  method  of 
preserving  the  health  of  the  brain  could  be 
entertained.  Many  writers  before  the  time  of 
Gall  knew,  indeed,  the  intimate  relations  ex- 
isting between  mind  and  matter,  but  it  was 
the  science  of  Phrenology,  first  discovered  by 
him,  which  turned  the  public  mind  strongly 
and  practically  to  this  important  point,  and 
will  doubtless  in  time  work  a  thorough  change 
in  public  sentiment,  and  be  attended  with 
most  happy  results. — Robert  Macintosh. 


Intellect  Not  All.  137 

INTELLECT   NOT    ALL. 

I  will  simply  say  here,  although  I  cannot 
as  yet  give  proofs,  that  there  are  other  powers 
of  the  intellect  besides  the  ordinary  mental 
powers.  These  latter  are  extremely  limited 
and  cannot  reach  beyond  a  certain  point. 

But  there  are  those  now  living  who  per- 
haps one  of  these  days  will  make  some  dis- 
covery or  invention  that  will  make  a  revolution 
in  our  theories  and  medical  practice. 

There  are  those  who  have  the  gift  of  genius, 
which  is  superior  to  the  ordinary  mental  pow- 
ers. Discoveries  are  made  not  by  the  ordinary 
mental  powers,  but  by  something  above  and 
beyond  them.  The  former  puts  a  question 
to   the   latter    and    it    sends    back    the    answer. 

We  see  this  illustrated  on  certain  occasions 
when  we  are  endeavoring  with  all  our  powers 
of  concentration  to  recollect  a  name  that  we 
have  forgotten,  when  suddenly  (when  we  are 
not  thinking  of  it)  the  name  returns  to  our 
memory.  This  is  due  to  the  action  of  that 
power,  of  which  I  have  spoken,  which  is  be- 
yond the  ordinary  mental  power?. 

The  will  power  acts  on  the  nerves  by  a 
sort    of    telegraphic    communication,    and    does 


138     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

not  act.  on  special  muscles  at  one  time,  but 
produces  variety  and  complication  of  move- 
ments at  the  same  time.  It  never  gives  an 
order  in  this  way :  "  I  wish  this  muscle  to 
act." 

Those  who  use  their  muscles  the  best  and 
with  the  greatest  effect  are  never  conscious  of 
doing  so. — Dr.  Brown-Sequard. 

EARLY    MENTAL    CULTURE    A    MISTAKE. 

The  history  of  the  most  distinguished  men 
will,  I  believe,  lead  us  to  the  conclusion,  that 
early  mental  culture  is  not  necessary,  in  order 
to  produce  the  highest  powers  of  mind.  There 
is  scarcely  an  instance  of  a  great  man,  one 
who  has  accomplished  great  results,  and  has 
obtained  the  gratitude  of  mankind,  who  in 
early  life  received  an  education  in  reference 
to  the  wonderful  labors  which  he  afterward 
performed.  The  greatest  philosophers,  war- 
riors, and  poets,  those  men  who  have  stamped 
their  own  characters  upon  the  age  in  which 
they  lived,  or  who,  as  Cousin  says,  have 
been  the  "  true  representatives  of  the  spirit 
and  ideas  of  their  time,"  have  received  no 
better   education,   when   young,  than    their  as- 


Early  Mental  Culture  a  Mistake.     139 

sociates  who  were  never  known  beyond  their 
own  neighborhood.  In  general  their  education 
was  but  small  in  their  early  life.  Self-edu- 
cation, in  after  life,  made  them  great,  so  far 
as  education  had  any  effect.  For  their  ele- 
vation they  were  indebted  to  no  early  hot- 
house culture,  but,  like  the  towering  oak,  they 
grew  up  amid  the  storm  and  the  tempest  rag- 
ing around.  Parents,  nurses,  and  early  acquaint- 
ances, to  be  sure,  relate  many  anecdotes  of  the 
childhood  of  distinguished  men,  and  they  are 
published  and  credited;  but  where  the  truth  is 
known  it  is  ascertained  that  many,  like  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  who,  according  to  his  own  statement, 
was  "inattentive  to  study,  and  ranked  very 
low  in  the  school  until  the  age  of  twelve,'' 
or,  like  Napoleon,  who  is  described  by  those- 
who  knew  him  intimately  when  a  child,  as 
"  having  good  health,  and  in  other  respects 
was  like  other  boys,"  do  not  owe  their  great- 
ness to  any  early  mental  application  or  dis- 
cipline. On  the  contrary,  it  often  appears, 
that  those  who  are  kept  from  school  by  ill- 
health  or  some  other  cause  in  early  life,  and 
left  to  follow  their  own  inclination  as  re- 
spects   study,    manifest    in    after  life  powers  oi 


140     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

mind  which  make  them  the  admiration  of  the 
world. — Amariah  Brigham,  M.D. 

WALTER    SCOTT'S    BOYHOOD. 

Here  is  a  boy  lying  about  in  the  fields, 
when  he  should  have  been  at  his  Latin  gram- 
mar ;  reading  novels  when  he  should  have  been 
entering  college;  spearing  salmon  instead  of 
embellishing  a  peroration.  Yet  this  person- 
age came  out  of  this  wild  kind  of  discipline, 
graced  with  the  rarest  combination  of  qualifi- 
cations for  enjoying  existence,  achieving  fame, 
and  blessing  society.  Deeply  learned,  though 
neither  the  languages,  nor  the  philosophy  of 
the  schools,  made  part  of  his  acquisition; 
robust  as  a  plowman ;  able  to  walk  like  a 
pedlar ;  industrious  as  a  handicraftman ;  in- 
trepid as  the  bravest  hero  of  his  own  im- 
mortal works.  Here  is  enough  to  put  us  on 
inquiring,  not  whether  learning,  and  even 
school  discipline,  be  good  tilings;  but  whether 
the  knowledge  usually  thought  most  essential, 
the  school  discipline  which  is  commonly  es- 
teemed indispensable,  be  in  fact  either  the 
one   or   the  other. — Harriet  Martineau. 


A  Wise  Thought  from  Spencer.        141 

A  WISE  THOUGHT  FROM  HERBERT  SPENCER. 

Our  general  conclusion  is,  then,  that  the 
ordinary  treatment  of  children  is,  in  various 
ways,  seriously  prejudicial.  It  errs  in  defi- 
cient feeding ;  in  deficient  clothing  ;  in  deficient 
exercise  (among  girls  at  least) ;  and  in  exces- 
sive mental  application.  Considering  the  re- 
gime as  a  whole,  its  tendency  is  too  exact- 
ing; it  asks  too  much  and  gives  too  little. 
In  the  extent  to  which  it  taxes  the  vital 
energies,  it  makes  the  juvenile  life  much  more 
like  the  adult  life  than  it  should  be.  It 
overlooks  the  truth  that,  as  in  the  foetus  the 
entire  vitality  is  expended  in  the  direction  of 
growth,  as  in  the  infant  the  expenditure  of 
vitality  in  growth  is  so  great  as  to  leave  ex- 
tremely little  for  either  physical  or  mental 
action,  so  throughout  childhood  and  youth 
growth  is  the  dominant  requirement  to  which 
all  others  must  be  subordinated — a  require- 
ment which  dictates  the  giving  of  much  and 
the  taking  away  of  little — a  requirement 
which,  therefore,  restricts  the  exertion  of  body 
and  mind  to  a  degree  proportionate  to  the 
rapidity   of  growth — a  requirement  which  per- 


142     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

mits  the  mental  and  physical  activities  to 
increase  only  as  fast  as  the  rate  of  growth 
diminishes. 

Regarded  from  another  point  of  view, 
this  high-pressure  education  manifestly  results 
from  our  passing  phase  of  civilization.  In 
primitive  times,  when  aggression  and  defense 
were  the  leading  social  activities,  bodily  vigor 
with  its  accompanying  courage  were  the  de- 
siderata ;  and  then  education  was  almost 
wholly  physical;  mental  cultivation  was  little 
cared  for,  and,  indeed,  as  in  our  own  feudal 
ages,  was  often  treated  with  contempt.  But 
now  that  our  state  is  relatively  peaceful — 
now  that  our  muscular  power  is  of  use  for 
little  else  than  manual  labor,  while  social 
success  of  nearly  every  kind  depends  very 
much  on  mental  power — our  education  has 
become  almost  exclusively  mental.  Instead 
of  respecting  the  body  and  ignoring  the  mind, 
we  now  respect  the  mind  and  ignore  the  body. 
Both  these  attitudes  are  wrong.  We  do  not 
yet  sufficiently  realize  the  truth  that,  as,  in 
this  life  of  ours,  the  physical  underlies  the 
mental,  the   mental   must  not  be  developed  at 


A.  Wise  Thought  from  Spencer.       143 

the    expense    of    the    physical.     The     ancient 
and  modern  conceptions  must  be  combined. 

Perhaps  nothing  will  so  much  hasten  the 
time  when  body  and  mind  will  both  be  ade- 
quately cared  for  as  a  diffusion  of  the  belief 
that  the  preservation  of  health  is  a  duty. 
Few  seem  conscious  that  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  physical  morality.  Men's  habitual 
words  and  acts  imply  the  idea  that  they  are 
at  liberty  to  treat  their  bodies  as  they  please. 
Disorders  entailed  by  disobedience  to  nature's 
dictates  they  regard  simply  as  grievances;  not 
as  the  effects  of  conduct  more  or  less  fla- 
gitious. Though  the  evil  consequences  in- 
flicted on  their  dependents,  and  on  future  gen- 
erations, are  often  as  great  as  those  caused 
by  crime,  yet  they  do  not  think  themselves 
in  any  degree  criminal.  It  is  true  that,  in 
case  of  drunkenness,  the  viciousness  of  a 
purely  bodily  transgression  is  recognized ; 
but  none  appear  to  infer  that  if  this  bodily 
transgression  is  vicious,  so,  too,  is  every  bodily 
transgression.  The  fact  is  that  all  breaches 
of  the  laws  of  health  are  physical  sins. 
When  this  is  generally  seen,  then,  and  per- 
haps  not    till   then,    will  the  physical  training 


144     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

of    the    young    receive    all    the     attention    it 
deserves. — Herbert  Spencer. 

HOT-HOUSE     BRAINS. 

A  man  cannot  make  a  hot-house  of  his 
brains,  especially  while  young,  without  cut- 
ting short  his  life — in  most  cases,  at  forty  or 
thereabouts,  he  has,  say,  twenty  years  of 
work.  If  he  treats  himself  properly,  works 
only  at  moderate  pressure,  allows  his  natural 
development,  physical  and  mental,  he  is  as 
likely  to  live,  vigorous,  till  seventy.  He  has, 
to  put  it  lower,  forty  years  of  work — double 
what  the  forcing  process  would  allow  him. 
And  we  have  pointed  out  that  it  is  not  un- 
fair to  claim  for  each  of  the  forty  years  a 
much  higher  average  activity  than  for  each  of 
the  twenty. 

Every  young  man  of  parts  has  thus  to 
choose  between  the  hot-house  and  open-air 
systems  of  brain  nurture.  It  is  true  that  the 
multiplicity  of  things  now  to  be  learned 
presses  him  hard — this  is  the  more  reason 
why  he  should  consider.  The  habit-model  of 
useful  brains  of  this  age  should  be  that  great 
scholar  and    worker   who  said   that  he   accom- 


Book-Gluttony  and  Lesson-Bibbing.    145 

plished  his  vast  amount  of  daily  work  by. 
taking  "plenty  of  sleep."  Plenty  of  sleep, 
plenty  of  exercise,  plenty  of  wholesome  food, 
plenty  of  time  for  its  digestion,  plenty  of  all 
that  nature  calls  for — these  are  to  build  up 
the  intellectual  giants  who  are  to  lead  prog- 
ress in  the  time  to  come.  Let  those  aspir- 
ants who  disdain  nature  and  her  laws  have 
a  care !  "  In  the  physical  world,''  it  has  been 
well  written,  "there  is  no  forgiveness  of  sin!" 
— K.  R.  Bowkee. 

BOOK-GLUTTONY    AND    LESSON-BIBBING-. 

Above  all  things,  let  my  imaginary  pu- 
pil have  preserved  the  freshness  and  vigor  of 
youth  in  his  mind  as  well  as  his  body.  The 
educational  abomination  of  desolation  of  the 
present  day  is  the  stimulation  of  young  peo-. 
pie  to  work  at  high  pressure  by  incessant 
competitive  examinations.  Some  wise  man 
(who  probably  was  not  an  early  riser)  has 
said  of  early  risers  in  general,  that  they  are 
conceited  all  the  forenoon  and  stupid  all  the 
afternoon.  Kow,  whether  this  is  true  of  early 
risers  in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  word 
or  not,  I   will   not    pretend    to   say ;  but   it   is 


146     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

too  often  true  of  the  unhappy  children  who 
are  forced  to  rise  too  early  in  their  classes. 
They  are  conceited  all  the  forenoon  of  their 
life,  and  stupid  all  the  afternoon.  The  vigor 
and  freshness  which  should  have  been  stored  up 
for  the  purposes  of  the  hard  struggle  for  ex- 
istence in  practical  life  have  been  washed 
out  of  them  by  precocious  mental  debauch- 
ery —  by  book  -  gluttony  and  lesson  -  bibbing. 
Their  faculties  are  worn  out  by  the  strain 
put  upon  their  callow  brains,  and  they  are 
demoralized  by  worthless  childish  triumphs 
before  the  real  work  of  life  begins.  I  have 
no  compassion  for  sloth,  but  youth  has  more 
need  for  intellectual  rest  than  age;  and  the 
cheerfulness,  the  tenacity  of  purpose,  the  power 
of  work,  which  make  many  a  successful  man 
what  he  is,  must  often  be  placed  to  the  credit, 
not  of  his  hours  of  industry,  but  to  that  of 
his  hours  of  idleness  in  boyhood.  Even  the 
hardest  worker  of  us  all,  if  he  has  to  deal 
with  anything  above  mere  details,  will  do 
well,  now  and  again,  to  let  his  brains  lie  fal- 
low for  a  space.  The  next  crop  of  thought 
will    certainly    be    all    the  fuller    in   the   ear, 


Activity  of  the  Mind.  147 

and  the  weeds  fewer. — T.  "W.  Huxley,  M.D., 
F.K.S. 

CONTINUED    AND    VARIED    ACTIVITY    OF    THE    MIND. 

Continued  and  varied  action  of  the  mind 
are  essentials  to  length  of  life  and  health  of 
life,  and  those  brain-workers  who  have  shown 
the  greatest  skill  in  varied  pursuits,  even  when 
their  works  have  been  laborious,  have  lived 
longest  and  happiest  and  best. 

The  truth  is  that  when  men  do  not  die 
of  some  direct  accident  or  disease,  they  die,  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten,  from  nervous  failure. 
And  this  is  the  peculiarity  of  nervous  failure 
— that  it  may  be  fatal  from  one  point  of  the 
nervous  organism,  the  rest  being  sound.  A 
man  may,  therefore,  wear  himself  out  by  one 
mental  exercise  too  exclusively  followed,  while 
he  may  live  through  many  exercises  extended 
over  far  greater  intervals  of  time  and  involv- 
ing more  real  labor,  if  they  be  distributed 
over  many  seats  of  mental  faculty. 

Just  as  a  sheet  of  ice  will  bear  many 
weights  if  they  be  equally  distributed  upon 
it,  but  will  give  way  and  break  np  at  one 
point   from    a   lesser   weight,  so  the  brain  will 


148     What  Thinkers  and  Scientists  Say. 

bear  an  equally  distributed  strain  of  work 
for  many  years,  while  pressure  not  more 
severe  on  one  point  will  destroy  it  in  a 
limited  period,  and  with  it  the  body  it 
animates. 

CONCLUSION. 

Let  health  and  education  go  hand-in-hand, 
and  the  progress  of  the  world,  physically  and 
mentally,  is  sound  and  sure. 

Let  the  brain,  in  the  first  stage  of  life, 
make  its  own  inventory ;  distress  it  not  with 
learning,  sadness,  romance  or  passion.  Let 
it  take  nature  as  a  second  mother  for  its 
teacher. 

In  the  second  stage,  instill  gently,  and 
learn  the  order  of  mind  that  is  being  rendered 
a  receiving  agency ;  allay  rather  than  encour- 
age ambition ;  do  not  push  on  the  strong,  but 
help  the  feeble. 

In  adolescence,  let  the  studies,  taking  their 
natural  bent,  be  more  decisive  and  defined  as  to- 
ward some  particular  end  or  object,  but  never 
distressing,  anxious,  or  distractingly  ambitious. 
Let  this  be  an  age  of  preparation  for  entering 
the  garden  of  knowledge,  and  of  modest  claim 
to  admission  there ;  not  for  a  charge  by  assault 


Conclusion.  149 

and    for    an    entry    with   clarion    and   standard 
and  claim  of  so  much  conquered  possessions. 

And  for  the  rest,  let  the  course  be  a  con- 
tinued learning,  so  that  with  the  one  and 
chief  pursuit  of  life  other  pursuits  may  min- 
gle   happily,    and   life    be    not 

"a  dissonant  thing, 

Amid  the  universal  harmony." 

— Benjamin  W.  Richardson. 


PART    II. 

PHYSICAL  AND  INTELLECTUAL  HABITS  OF  DIS- 
TINGUISHED MEN  AND  WOMEN, 

AS    DESCRIBED    BY    THEMSELVES. 


O.  B.  FROTHINGHAM. 

My  Dear  Sir:  You  ask  me  to  put 
down  on  paper  the  rules  of  physical  and  in- 
tellectual health  that  I  have  observed  in  the 
course  of  my  life.  I  do  so  with  pleasure, 
though  the  story  will  be  brief  and  bare,  and 
not  much,  perhaps,  to  your  purpose.  My 
youth  was  past  and  my  habits  were  formed 
before  attention  was  much  called  to  questions 
of  hygiene,  even  in  its  broadest  aspects.     The 


152     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits, 

temperance  reform,  now  so  well  established, 
so  reasonably  advocated,  and  so  generally  ap- 
plied, hardly  touched  the  well-to-do  classes. 
In  regard  to  clothing,  food,  sleep,  exercise, 
general  maxims  were  deemed  sufficient;  the 
results  of  physiological  inquiry  into  the  con- 
ditions of  health  in  the  brain  and  nervous 
system  were  either  not  reached  or  not  com- 
municated ;  less  was  expected  and  less  de- 
manded of  men  and  women  then  than  now, 
and  less,  consequently,  was  obtained.  The 
conscientious  man  who  was  devoted  to  intel- 
tectual  pursuits,  and  wished  to  get  a  fair 
amount  of  good  work  from  his  faculties,  such 
as  they  were,  made  his  rules  of  conduct  for 
himself,  or  applied  the  best  rules  current, 
according   to    his   needs. 

In  my  own  case  it  soon  became  evident 
that  simplicity  and  method  were  the  two 
cardinal  principles  of  practice.  The  conduct 
of  life  must  be  regulated;  days  must  be 
counted;  hours  must  be  reserved  and  set  apart; 
a  plan  must  be  formed,  not  so  rigidly  that 
departures  from  it  in  cases  of  necessity  or 
convenience  were  forbidden,  yet  rigidly  enough 
to    prevent    waste    from     casual    interruptions 


O.  B.  Frothingham.  153 

and  distractions.  From  the  time  when  I  was 
old  enough  to  feel  rationally  accountable  for 
the  use  of  time  and  the  economy  of  men- 
tal power,  it  has  been  my  custom  to  devote 
the  early  part  of  every  day — say  from  eight 
or  nine  o'clock  till  one  or  two — to  serious 
mental  work.  The  afternoon  was  given  to 
exercise,  recreation  and  social  intercourse.  No 
severe  employment  of  the  brain  was  pursued 
late  at  night  or  far  into  the  evening.  Not 
half  a  dozen  times  in  my  life  have  I  stud- 
ied or  toiled  till  midnight.  In  order  that 
sleep  might  be  quiet  and  refreshing,  the  brain 
was  allowed  to  cool,  and  the  blood  encour- 
aged to  circulate  evenly  through  the  frame. 
Eight  hours  was  the  old  rule  for  sleep- 
ing. I  have  never  had  more  than  seven ;  of 
late  years  six  has  been  the  utmost  attainable, 
and,  if  sound  and  regular,  it  has  been  suf- 
ficient for  my  needs.  Though  early  rising 
was  commended,  both  by  precept  and  exam- 
ple, the  injunction  to  greet  the  dawn  as  it 
tripped  over  the  hill -tops  never  impressed 
me.  "  Sunrises  and  such  like  gauds,"  as 
Charles  Lamb  says,  did  not  interest  me.  It 
seemed   to    me    that    early    rising    was    a   mat- 


154     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

ter  of  temperament,  and  that  on  such  a  point 
the  constitution  should  within  reasonable  lim- 
its be  consulted,  though  I  have  no  question  that 
the  habit  may  be  cultivated,  and  in  most 
cases  to  advantage ;  always  to  advantage  when 
the  economies  of  life  allow  early  hours  for 
retiring.  The  object  being  to  get  out  of  the 
system  all  it  will  yield  healthily,  the  ques- 
tion whether  the  demand  shall  be  made  and 
complied  with  at  one  period  of  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  or  another,  is  secondary ;  that  ob- 
ject being  kept  in  view,  the  individual  may 
be  permitted  to  consult  the  mechanism  of 
his  frame. 

Touching  eating  and  drinking,  the  only 
rules  prescribed,  in  my  early  manhood,  were, 
not  to  eat  or  drink  too  much — not  to  eat 
or  drink  what  was  manifestly  hurtful — and 
not  to  eat  or  drink  at  unreasonable — that  is, 
at  unwholesome — hours.  The  exigencies  of 
modern  city  life  make  it  convenient  to  dine 
after  sundown — as  late  sometimes  as  seven  or 
eight  o'clock.  The  old  fashion  of  three  meals 
in  a  day,  the  chief  one  not  far  from  the 
middle,  by  two  or  three  o'clock,  seems  to  me 
preferable    on    all  accounts.     It   falls    in    with 


O.  B.  Frothing  ham.  155 

a  more  natural  division  of  hours  and  em- 
ployments ;  it  gives  an  interval  of  rest  when 
it  is  required  ;  it  secures  a  brighter  evening 
and    a   more   serene   night. 

Thanks  to  a  vigorous  constitution  and  to 
out-door  exercise,  ball  playing  in  youth,  walk- 
ing and  lifting  in  later  years,  I  have  been 
able  to  eat  and  digest  such  food  as  was 
provided,  animal  or  vegetable,  cereals  or  fruits. 
There  were,  in  my  day,  but  few  doctrin- 
aires on  questions  of  diet.  I  was  never  a 
theorist ;  never  a  vegetarian  ;  always  carnivo- 
rous ;  always  inclined  to  eat  the  most  nourish- 
ing and  invigorating  food,  but  always  willing 
to  concede  the  wisdom  of  a  different  prac- 
tice for  others.  The  circumstance  of  having 
been  entirely  free  from  dyspepsia,  so  free  as 
not  to  know  what  it  was  till  past  middle  life, 
and  still  being  unacquainted  with  it  in  any 
but  its  lightest  form,  does  not  embolden  me 
to  lay  down  the  law  to  dyspeptics,  nor  does 
it  make  me  proof  against  the  consideration 
that  a  different  regimen  might,  in  my  own 
case,  have  resulted  in  greater  vigor,  elastic- 
ity, and   happiness    of  sensation. 

In  one  respect,  I  am  satisfied  that  it  would, 


156      Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

I  mean,  in  regard  to  the  use  of  wine.  I  was 
familiar  from  my  boyhood  with  the  sight  of 
wine  and  the  spectacle  of  its  use ;  it  was  on  all 
the  tables  at  which  I  sat,  and  after  manhood 
was  reached  it  was  freely  offered  me.  From 
that  time  on,  the  inclination  to  take  wine 
has  never  been  checked  by  any  save  personal 
considerations.  It  was  always  used  sparingly; 
sometimes  for  long  periods  it  was  wholly  dis- 
used, there  being  no  desire  for  it.  It  was 
never  used  except  at  meal  times ;  it  was 
never  employed  for  purposes  of  nervous  stim- 
ulation ;  neither  tea  nor  coffee,  both  of  which 
were  used,  were  ever,  in  any  single  instance, 
employed  for  that ;  and  no  positive  ill  effect 
is  now  or  ever  has  been  traceable  to  either 
them    or  the   wine. 

And  yet,  were  my  life  to  live  over  again, 
I  should  accustom  myself  to  abstinence,  if 
not  total  all  but  total,  from  all  three.  It 
seems  to  me  now,  on  looking  back,  that  some- 
thing of  dullness  and  languor,  something  of 
exhaustion  and  dreaminess,  something  of  leth- 
argy, something  too  of  heat  and  irritability, 
may  be  chargeable  to  a  practice  not  in  any 
grave    degree    harmful   or    blameworthy.     The 


O.  B.  Frothingham.  157 

faculties  have  been  less  keen  and  patient 
than  they  would  have  been  under  a  strictly 
natural  regimen.  My  present  habits  will  not, 
it  is  likely,  be  changed,  unless  circumstances 
compel  me  to  change  them ;  but  I  should 
earnestly  advise  young  people  who  are  form- 
ing habits,  to  rely  on  their  natural  resources 
of  power,  and  to  keep  those  resources  full  by 
natural  means:  wholesome  exercise,  a  plenti- 
ful supply  of  air  and  light,  sufficient  sleep, 
and    the    "  food   that   is    convenient." 

Is  it  owing  to  the  prejudices  of  my  edu- 
cation, or  to  the  felicity  of  my  constitution, 
or,  in  part,  to  both,  that  the  present  scru- 
pulosity in  regard  to  dietetics,  and  the  nice 
observance  of  the  laws  of  hygiene,  seem 
to  me  a  little  exaggerated,  and,  so  far,  un- 
wise? Are  the  uses  of  hardship  confined 
to  the  moral  world  ?  May  it  not  be  that  the 
physical  system  requires  for  its  full  vigor  the 
discipline  that  comes  with  the  effort  to  accom- 
modate itself  to  harsh  natural  conditions  ?  Is 
there  not  a  modicum  of  truth  in  the  homely 
saying  that  "  every  man  must  eat  his  peck  01 
dirt,"  not  as  a  disagreeable  necessity  which 
he  cannot  avoid,   but  as  a   condition  of   vigor 


158     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

in  his  digestive  functions  ?  As  the  bird  fan- 
cier mingles  bird  seed  with  fine  gravel  to  ensure 
the  health  of  his  feathered  proteges,  so  Provi- 
dence, as  we  call  it,  compels  us  to  become 
robust  by  a  miscellaneous  and  provoking 
diet.  You  are  engaged  in  the  humane  work 
of  altering  the  physical  conditions  of  life, 
so  that  men  and  women  may  attain  a  greater 
measure  of  bodily  and  mental  health  with 
less  effort  and  danger.  It  must  cheer  you 
to  know  that  a  good  many  of  your  fellow 
creatures  have  attained  a  reasonable  degree  of 
both,  notwithstanding  the  imperfection  of  their 
conditions  and  the  misfortune  of  their  habits. 
"With  the  best  conditions  there  will  always 
be  friction  enough ;  for,  as  the  conditions  are 
improved,  the  standard  of  bodily  and  mental 
health  will  be  raised,  and  the  "  struggle  for 
existence "    will    be    transferred    to    a    higher 

plane. 

Faithfully   yours, 

O.  B.  Frothingham. 
New  York,  October  14,  1877. 


Francis  W.  Newman.  159 

n. 

FRANCIS  W.  NEWMAN. 

Dear  Sir  :  You  request  me  to  furnish  you 
from  my  own  experience  with  hints  that  may 
be  useful  to  others  on  the  habits  of  intellectual 
life,  as  conducive  to  the  welfare  of  the  brain  and 
nerves.  If  I  were  so  egotistic  as  to  reply 
by  a  minute  history  of  my  physical  experi- 
ences, it  might  afford  (I  presume)  material 
for  rumination  to  the  wise;  but  my  circum- 
stances have  always  been  exceptional,  gener- 
ally advantageously  so,  making  it  useless  to 
bid  others  do  as  I  have  done.  For  instance, 
if  I  give  a  hint  to  any  one,  "Never  over- 
work yourself!"  (which  I  make  no  doubt  is 
a  wise  precept),  I  know,  alas !  that  many 
will  say,  "I  dare  not  stop  work  when  I  first 
feel  fatigue  of  brain :  I  shall  lose  my  em- 
ployment: I  need  to  be  manifestly  ill  and 
gravely  disabled,  before  others  can  see  that 
I  really  must  stop."  In  every  profession  a 
man,  for  years  perhaps,  labors  with  very 
scanty  and  inadequate  pay ;  then  when  his 
merits  at  last  are  known,  he  gets  too  much 
work,    but   reluctantly   admits  this.     He  thinks 


160      Physical  and  Intellectual  Iiabits. 

"to  make  hay  while  the  sun  shines,"  and 
make  up  for  the  past  ill  remuneration.  This 
I  believe  to  be  a  serious  clanger  to  every 
successful  practitioner ;  though  it  is  hard  to 
believe  that  if  he  be  earnest  to  take  up 
work  with  smaller  income,  it  is  not  in  his 
power.  I  have  known,  intimately,  sad  cases 
of  successful  professional  men  thoroughly  ruin- 
ing their  health,  from  dread  to  lose  the  mo- 
ment of  benefiting  their  families. 

As  for  myself,  all  my  life  I  have  had  less, 
far  less,  of  ostensible  and  necessary  work 
than  I  was  able  easily  to  perform;  and  I 
have  studied  and  written  from  love  of  it 
more  hours  by  far  than  my  public  duties  oc- 
cupied or  needed.  Hence  I  have  always  been 
able  to  relax  and  take  my  ease,  as  soon  as 
I  had  incipient  symptoms  of  mental  strain. 
Nevertheless,  at  one  time  I  sadly  suffered 
from  sleeplessness,  through  the  excitement  of 
imagination.  I  first  suffered  in  this  way  (which 
took  the  form  of  writing  letters  home,  with 
head  on  pillow,  to  my  mother  and  other 
friends)  after  a  partial  recovery  from  a  terrible 
fever  at  Aleppo.  I  may  say,  in  parenthesis,  that 
I  now  impute  that  fever  entirely  to  my  ignorantly 


Francis  IF.  Newman.  161 

continuing  to  eat  heartily  of  flesh-meat  dur- 
ing the  heat  of  the  summer  in  that  climate. 
Five  immense  efforts  of  nature,  by  violent 
sweating,  did  but  temporarily  throw  the  fever 
off;  a  sixth  was  successful.  But  meanwhile 
my  physician,  my  kind  and  tender  companion, 
treated  me  as  was  the  mode  of  that  time 
(1831),  and  put  220  leeches  on  me,  causing 
me  enormous  fatigue  and  reducing  me  to  a 
skeleton.  The  fever  left  me  on  the  seventeenth 
day,  but  I  could  not  stand  up  (if  I  remem- 
ber) for  three  weeks  after,  and  then  had  to 
learn  to  walk  again,  like  an  infant,  darting 
from  chair  to  chair.  The  fever,  or  perhaps 
rather  the  treatment,  permanently  weakened 
my  nerves.  A  tap  at  the  door  will  make  me 
jump;  but  previously  I  could  have  borne  the 
report  of  a  pistol  in  the  room.  I  also  had 
sleeplessness  from  inability  to  control  my  mind 
when  I  went  to  rest.  This  returned  upon 
me  much  later.  To  this  day,  what  is  called 
a  soiree,  where  one  meets  many  people  and 
talks  on  numerous  subjects,  is  very  apt  to  de- 
stroy my  sleep :  so  does  ascending  any  great 
height,  wThence  I  look  down  on  depths.  Though 
there  has    been  no  possible  danger,  absolutely 


162     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

nothing  to  alarm,  yet,  when  I  am  about  to 
sleep,  I  start  up  as  from  the  side  of  a  prec- 
ipice. This  is  a  peculiarity,  denoting  that 
my  nerves  never  recovered  their  original  ro- 
bustness. 

That  I  entirely  recovered  (at  first  by  horse- 
exercise),  my  muscular  strength  does  seem  to 
me  remarkable.  Whether  at  all  imputable  to 
the  fact  that  I  have  never  in  my  life  had 
the  habit  of  making  alcoholic  drink  an  ordi- 
nary beverage,  and  have  retained  my  child- 
ish dislike  for  it,  others  must  judge.  In  my 
own  estimate,  I  had  always  a  good  appetite, 
but  others  called  me  a  small  eater.  I  only 
know  that  my  habit  was  to  dine  on  the  first 
solid  dish  which  presented  itself:  this  goes  a 
great  way  to  save  one  from  eating  too  much. 
I  have  maintained  the  same  weight  all  my 
life  since  early  youth — that  is,  for  more  than 
fifty  continuous  years — and  have  remained  wiry, 
without  any  fat.  If  I  may  advise  any  one,  it 
is,  to  eat  the  very  least  in  quantity  which  will 
keep  him  in  health.  Any  superfluous  food 
must  either  derange  health,  or  use  up  (in 
chemical  process  to  get  rid  of  the  superfluity) 
force    which   else   would   be    at  his    voluntary 


Francis  W.  Newman.  163 

disposal.  It  is  a  great  thing  in  advancing  age 
to  be  light  as  a  boy.  My  digestion  was  always 
painful,  until  I  became  a  vegetarian,  ten  years 
ago;  but  though  painful,  I  make  no  doubt  it 
was  successful,  to  judge  by  the  state  of  my 
skin,  and  my  unchanged  weight.  But  I  regard 
abstinence  from  flesh-meat  to  be  an  advantage 
to  an  intellectual  and  sedentary  person,  scarcely 
inferior  to  abstinence  from  wine,  ale,  etc.  Sed- 
entary I  suppose  I  must  be  called ;  yet  I  have 
from  youth  been  an  active  walker,  and  still,  at 
seventy-two,  walk  very  sharply,  though  seldom 
loug  distances.  Above  all,  I  covet  sleep.  The 
more  I  sleep,  the  better  I  am.  No  student 
should  grudge  himself  sleep.  I  count  seven 
hours  normal ;  and  six  too  little ;  if  I  can 
get  now  and  then  eight,  my  brain  is  stronger 
for  it,  and  I  can  work  more  hours  after  it. 
Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  conceal  that  I  am 
sadly  out  of  harmony  with  the  prevalent  doc- 
trine of  the  day  concerning  hardihood.  When 
I  was  a  young  man  I  had  my  own  theories 
about  bracing  and  hardening  my  body.  I 
slept  on  a  hard  straw  mattress.  I  generally 
scorned  a  greatcoat,  at  least  a  warm  one.  In 
Asiatic  travel   I  had  plenty  of  necessary   hard- 


164     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 


I  slept  with  open  window  in  most 
seasons,  but  trial  brought  me  round  to  an 
opposite  conviction.  At  University  College, 
London,  I  found  that  the  young  men  with 
open  necks  had  no  such  immunity  from  cold 
and  cough  as  I  enjoyed  through  my  wraps. 
One  of  my  greatest  distresses  there  was  speak- 
ing (loud)  against  their  coughs  and  nose-blow- 
ings. Except  in  warm  summer,  I  seldom  rise 
early,  because  I  become  cold  in  sitting  still, 
especially  after  the  night  has  chilled  the  room. 
Once  only  in  seventeen  years  was  I  absent 
from  my  lecture-room  in  London  through  in- 
ability to  use  my  voice ;  an  inability  caused 
only  by  struggling  against  the  noises  of  coughs, 
etc.  But  my  dear  wife  (whom  I  lost  last 
year)  said  that  in  more  than  forty  }rears  she 
had  not  known  me  have  a  cough.  Yet,  at  this 
moment,  I  am  the  weaker  from  having  foolishly 
"roughed  it"  eight  years  ago,  when  in  Sep- 
tember sudden  cold  came  on  after  great  heat, 
and  I  had  no  winter  flannels  with  me.  Let 
me  add,  that  I  hold  to  Cicero's  advice  (given 
to  a  student),  "Take  exercise,  so  much  as  is 
needful   for  health ;  but   not  so  much   as  will 


Francis  W.  Newman.  165 

conduce  to  the  greatest  bodily  strength."  I 
have  no  doubt  that  hard,  muscular  work 
stupefies  the  brain.  I  have  as  much  manly 
strength  as  my  duties  require.  Not  long  back, 
a  person  standing  at  my  side,  while  I  spoke 
loud  to  a  large  audience  for  an  hour  and  a 
quarter,  told  me  that  my  last  sentence  was 
uttered  as  vigorously  as  my  first,  and  that 
he  had  watched  in  vain  to  hear  me  failing. 
But  of  course  in  lifting  weights,  etc.,  I  could 
not  be  called  anything  but  a  weak  man. 
TVhat  does  it  matter  ?  Each  has  his  own 
specialty.  "With  no  padding  of  fat,  I  am  glad 
of  good  thick  clothing ;  or  in  bed,  of  soft  un- 
dercloth  or  feather-bed.  I  shun  linen  sheets 
and  everything  glossy ;  preferring  rough  cot- 
ton. In  short,  I  try  to  nourish  and  cherish 
my  skin,  and  find  it  succeeds.  Dry  rubbing 
suits  me  far  better  than  cold  baths. 
I  am  respectfully  yours, 

F.  W.  Newman. 

Weston  super  Mare 
November  12 


l  Mare,  ) 

,  1877.     \ 


166      Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

III. 
T.  L.  NICHOLS,  M.D. 

My  Dear  Doctor :  You  have  chosen  a  good 
subject  for  your  new  book.  All  civilized  men 
need  to  understand  the  Hygiene  of  the  Brain 
and  Nerves.  The  English  are  not  so  rapid  and 
helter-skelter  as  the  Americans ;  they  take 
things  easier  and  are  more  methodical.  With 
a  climate  never  hot,  and  never  cold,  though 
often  wet,  they  get  more  out-of-door  exer- 
cise, and  I  am  often  obliged  to  restrain  the 
tendencies  of  invalids  to  expend  in  long 
walks  the  force  needed  to  build  them  up  in 
health.  I  have  known  a  slender  little  girl, 
who  I  feared  would  die  of  consumption,  walk 
fifteen  miles  across  country  for  a  visit,  and  re- 
turn home  the  same  evening.  The  fresh  air 
and  all  the  breathing  is  good,  but  I  enjoin 
greater  economy  of  force. 

Methodical  habits  go  into  intellectual  labor 
as  well  as  business.  Authors  plod  on  day 
after  day,  generally  getting  to  work  at  ten  A.  M., 
taking  an  hour  for  lunch,  and  then  working 
away  till  live,  when  they  take  a  walk  before 
dinner.     Of  course  there  are  some  who  do  not 


T.  L.  Mchols,  2LD.  167 

begin  to  work  until  sometime  after  they  have 
dined.  But  these  take  strong  tea  or  coffee,  or 
something  stronger,  and  so  work  into  the  small 
hours  of  the  morning. 

My  own  habits  are  quite  the  opposite.  I 
rise  at  five  o'clock  in  summer,  often  at  four,  for 
there  is  nothing;  more  delightful  than  an  Eng- 
lish  summer  morning.  In  May  and  June  the 
birds  begin  to  sing  at  three  o'clock,  and  the 
sun  is  well  up  at  four.  In  winter  I  get  to 
work  at  six,  and  do  the  bulk  of  my  work  be- 
fore breakfast.  Life  flows  to  the  rested  brain 
and  is  not  drawn  away  to  the  stomach.  And 
it  seems  to  me  that  what  is  called  the  wear 
and  tear  of  a  literary  life  consist  chiefly  in 
this  contrast.  Our  vital  force  is  a  limited 
quantity.  We  cannot  work  fully  in  two  places 
at  once.  In  our  work  we  want  it  all  for 
the  brain.  When  we  are  about  to  eat,  are 
eating,  or  have  eaten  and  are  digesting  our 
food,  we  want  all  our  force  to  carry  on  the 
secretions  from  salivary  glands,  stomach  glands, 
liver,  pancreas,  and  for  all  the  blood-making 
processes.  Therefore,  I  discourage  eating  while 
the  blood  is  at  work  in  the  brain,  or  work- 
ing   when    it   is   fully    employed   in    assimila- 


168     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

tion.  No  newspapers,  no  books,  no  conversa- 
tion that  involves  thought  at  meals.  The  Eng- 
lish pretty  well  adhere  to  this.  They  may 
glance  at  the  Times  at  breakfast,  but  I  have 
not  heard  much  intellectual  conversation  at  din- 
ner— none  to  hurt — and  after-dinner  speeches 
as  a  rule  do  not  show  signs  of  brain -work. 
Nor  should  they.  A  clever  dinner  speech 
must  be  made  at  the  expense  of  the  digestive 
apparatus.  Englishmen  like  to  eat  alone  and 
in  silence.  The  pressure  and  wear  and  tear 
of  life  here  seem  to  me  to  be  more  anxiety 
than  overwork.     It  is  overworry. 

Just  now  I  am  trying  an  experiment  on  the 
relations  of  work  to  diet,  to  test  upon  my- 
self my  theory  that  the  trouble  of  overwork 
is  chiefly,  if  not  wholly,  in  the  digestive  ap- 
paratus. I  have  long  since  found  that  the 
less  I  eat,  the  better  I  feel,  and  have  lived 
on  very  moderate  amounts  of  food,  but  I  have 
not  accurately  wreighed  and  measured  to  see 
precisely  what  amount  of  food  is  needed.  On 
the  5th  of  November,  when  people  were  cel- 
ebrating the  festival  of  Guy  Fawkes,  I  began 
to  keep  an  account  of  my  diet.  I  eat  twice 
a  day,  at   nine   and    four.      I   take    no    stimu- 


T.  L.  JVichols,  M.D.  169 

lants  of  any  kind.  The  first  week  I  took 
bread  and  its  equivalents,  milk,  eggs,  fruit 
and  vegetables,  an  average  of  eight  ounces  a 
day,  dry  weight,  or  nearly — say  that  of  solid 
food  like  cheese.  Of  course  I  do  not  reckon 
the  water  in  the  milk,  fruits  and  vegetables. 
I  was  not  particular  about  cost,  buying  as 
needful  at  the  customary  prices,  and  fruits  and 
some  vegetables  are  dearer  this  season  than 
usual.  The  actual  cost  of  my  week's  diet 
was  sixty-eight  cents,  or  a  little  less  than  a 
dime  a  day,  not  including  cost  of  cooking. 

On  my  second  week,  I  am  eating  only 
brown  bread,  milk  and  fruit.  I  like  this  bet- 
ter. I  have  found  some  excellent  American 
dried  apples,  for  the  English  apple  crop  this  year 
is  very  poor.  The  weight  is  about  the  same — 
the  cost  a  fraction  more.  I  find  my  brain 
weariness  troubling  me  less  and  less,  and  my 
power  of  work  increasing.  I  wrote  yesterday 
a  long  article — a  fair  day's  work  before  break- 
fast— and  I  work  twelve  to  fifteen  hours  a 
day  with  very  little  sense  of  fatigue.  My 
stomach  has  such  light  work  that  all  life  flows 
freely  to  the  brain,  and  I  can  work  on,  hour 
after   hour.     Next  week  I  shall  leave   out   the 


1.70     Physical  ana  Intellectual  Habits. 

milk,  and  try  an  entirely  vegetable,  a  perfectly 
Pythagorian,  diet  of  bread  and  fruit.  With 
this  I  shall  find  the  quantity  that  suits  me 
best,  which  I  expect  will  be  from  six  to  eight 
ounces  a  day.  I  shall  also  give  a  little  time 
to  an  experiment  upon  cost.  "How  to  Live 
on  Sixpence  a  Day,"  which  has  been  trans- 
lated into  German,  and  I  believe  also  into 
Hindustan ee  (for  a  mild  Brahmin  wrote  to  ask 
my  permission),  and  which  was  reprinted  in 
America  with  the  title  of  "How  to  Live  on 
a  Dime  and  a  half  a  Day."  Luxurious  people 
said  it  was  absurd  and  impossible — and  that 
in  a  country  where  agricultural  laborers  are 
expected  to  find  shelter,  clothing,  food,  etc., 
for  a  family,  on  wages  of  two  dollars  a 
week,  and  where  the  entire  expense  of  the 
paupers  in  some  great  workhouses,  including 
salaries  of  overseers,  is  less  than  sixty  cents 
per  week.  When  bantered  on  the  subject,  I 
have  always  said  that  I  would  undertake  to 
live,  and  live  perfectly  well,  keeping  up 
weight,  strength,  and  power  to  work  on  half 
the  money — that  is,  six  cents  a  day.  So  I 
shall  put  it  to  the  test — an  experiment  quite 
as    useful,    I    fancy,    as    walking    a    thousand 


Joseph  Rodes  Buchanan,  M.D.       171 

miles  in  a  thousand  hours,  or,  as  Gale  is  now 
trying  to  do,  a  thousand  quarter  miles  in  a 
thousand  consecutive  ten  minutes. 

When  I  have  finished  my  experiment  you 
will  have  a  full  account  of  it  in  my  Herald 
of  Health ;  meantime  I  wish  you  all  possi- 
ble    success     in    your    useful    and    beneficent 

labors. 

Very  truly  yours, 

T.  L.  Nichols,  M.D. 

32  Fopstone  Road,  Earl's  Court,  ) 
London,  S.W.,  Nov.  15,  1877.       \ 

IY. 

JOSEPH  RODES  BUCHANAN",  M.D. 

Dear  Sir :  Your  letter,  asking  my  per- 
sonal experience  and  suggestions  in  reference 
to  hygiene,  especially  of  the  brain  and  nerves, 
has  just  been  received,  and,  approving  most 
heartily  your  valuable  labors  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a  higher  manhood,  I  take  pleasure 
in   responding. 

I  have  some  views  of  hygiene  differing  ma- 
terially from  those  which  have  been  most 
current  in  this  country,  which  it  would 
require   much    more   than    a   letter    to   express 


172     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

I  know  nothing  more  necessary  to  be  im- 
pressed on  every  one  than  the  importance  of 
adapting  the  diet  to  the  varying  requirements 
of  each  constitution,  and  the  varying  condi- 
tions of  the  system  from  day  to  day.  No  uni- 
form system  of  diet  can  suit  various  constitu- 
tions of  opposite  organic  development,  and 
there  are  few  persons  who  do  not  need  fre- 
quent changes  of  diet  to  maintain  perfect 
health.  At  one  time  salt  is  a  necessity  (es- 
pecially in  hot  weather);  at  another,  a  matter 
of  indifference.  At  one  time  strong  coffee 
may  aid  greatly  in  restoring  a  depressed  nerv- 
ous system,  and  warding  off  malarious  fevers; 
at  another,  it  may  greatly  aggravate  nerv- 
ous disorders,  sleeplessness  and  neuralgia.  A 
volume  would  be  required  to  illustrate  the 
necessity  of  varied*  diet;  but,  after  all,  a  vig- 
ilant observation,  by  each  individual,  of  the 
natural  cravings  of  his  own  constitution,  and 
the  effects  of  each  article  of  diet,  is  the 
only  reliable  guide.  It  was  by  this  careful 
self-study  that  I  relieved  myself  of  severe  dys- 
pepsia in  early  manhood,  and  have  brought 
up    a   comparatively    weak    constitution    to    a 


Joseph  Bodes  Buchanan,  M.D.       173 

very  healthful  and  enjoyable  condition,  at  the 
age   of  sixty-three. 

As  for  the  hygiene  of  the  brain,  it  de- 
pends chiefly  on  that  of  the  body,  and  is 
included  in  the  laws  of  diet,  exercise,  etc., 
but  it  has  also  its  special  culture  and  devel- 
opment. 

It  may  seem  odd  to  those  who  regard  the 
brain  simply  as  the  organ  of  intellectual  power 
that  I  regard  the  affections  as  the  chief  subject 
of  consideration  in  cerebral  hygiene ;  yet 
nothing  is  more  certain  in  anthropology 
(which,  as  I  present  it,  is  a  positive  experi- 
mental science,  and  not  a  matter  of  literary 
speculation)  than  that  the  vitality  and  circu- 
lation of  the  brain  are  maintained,  not  by 
the  intellectual  powers,  but  by  the  emotions 
— not  only  the  gentler  emotions  that  seek  the 
good  of  others,  but  the  more  heroic  emotions 
which  constitute  impulses  and  volitionary  pow- 
ers. 

The  first  requisite,  therefore,  to  a  sound, 
vigorous  brain  is  a  resolute  will  and  ambition  to 
succeed  in  some  honorable  career ;  the  sec- 
ond is  what  has  sometimes  been  called  al- 
truism  (in   opposition    to    egotism) — the    love 


174:     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

of  friends,  the  love  of  society,  the  love  of 
woman,  the  love  of  universal  humanity — in 
short,  love  in  all  its  possible  forms — not 
omitting  the  love  of  the  divine  and  heaven- 
ly, which  is  the  essence  of  religion,  and  the 
life  and  inspiration  of  the  darkest  hours  that 
are   surrounded   by   calamity   and  injustice. 

When  these  loves  are  all  normally  devel- 
oped, and  cooperate  with  a  strong  will  and 
heightened  ambition,  the  braiu  has  a  fund  of 
power  that  is  inexhaustible,  and  the  intellect 
is  ever  clear,  copious  and  truthful.  There  is, 
therefore,  no  higher  hygienic  law  for  the  brain 
than  uo  love  with  our  whole  soul,  and  work 
with  all  our  might  in  the  direction  that  duty 
indicates.  And,  as  love  requires  earthly  ob- 
jects and  sympathy,  we  need  to  seek  the 
society  of  those  whose  earnest  and  loving 
natures  render  them  worthy  of  our  love,  and 
whose  intelligent  companionship  will  strengthen 
our  mental  and  moral  power.  He  who 
has  a  dozen  noble  friends  is  well  provided 
for  the  hygiene  of  the  brain ;  and  it  is  the 
duty  of  those  who  aim  thus  to  live  rightly 
and  make  the  world  better  for  their  having 
lived  in    it,  to  seek  each  other's  society,   with- 


Joseph  Bodes  Buchanan,  M.I).       175 

out  reserve  or  hesitation,  and  to  unite  in 
groups,  clubs  or  societies  of  any  kind,  in 
which  by  their  moral  power  they  may  sus- 
tain each  other,  and  react  upon  society  for  its 
good — so  that  social  influence  may  emanate 
from  the  wise,  the  good,  and  progressive, 
and  not  merely  from  fashion,  wealth,  and  the 
lower  instincts  of  the  multitude. 

When  I  know  of  such  persons  I  seek  them 
in  a  fraternal  spirit,  and  when  they  approach 
me  I  welcome  them  with  cordiality ;  and  if 
all  students  of  nature  and  books  who  live  not 
for  self  alone  would  follow  these  suggestions, 
there  would  soon  be  a  social  atmosphere  about 
them  in  which  there  would  be  nothing  mor- 
bid— in  which  the  brain  and  soul  might  at- 
tain a  higher  development.  Are  there  not 
everywhere  materials  enough  in  both  sexes 
for  such  society  if  they  were  brought  to- 
gether, and  is  it  not  the  duty  of  every  one 
who  appreciates  these  suggestions  to  seek  and 
to  organize  such  society,  for  innumerable  rea- 
sons ? 

Regarding  the  above  as  the  major  portion 
of  cerebral  hygiene,  I  would  offer  but  four 
minor  suggestions. 


176     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

1.  Vocal  Culture.  —  The  exercise  of  the 
voice  and  mind  in  conversation  and  in  addresses 
to  oar  friends  or  the  public  is  the  most  effi- 
cient exercise  for  strengthening  the  entire  brain, 
for  want  of  which  many  a  solitary  student 
loses  half  the  enjoyment  of  life,  and  half  his 
mental  vigor. 

2.  Balanced  Culture. — As  man's  consti- 
tution consists  of  opposite  powers,  no  great 
cultivation  in  any  direction  can  produce  sat- 
isfactory results,  unless  it  be  balanced  by  cul- 
ture in  the  opposite  direction  to  give  it  a 
basis.  Regular  muscular  exercise  is  therefore 
necessary  to  the  student  or  man  of  intellect- 
ual pursuits,  even  to  give  the  brain  itself 
practical  energy,  and  the  exercise  of  the  arms 
and  shoulders   is   especially  beneficial. 

3.  Nourishment. — A  nourishing  diet,  abund- 
ance of  blood,  and  sufficiency  of  sleep,  or  rest 
in  the  horizontal  posture,  are  necessary  to  a 
sound  brain.  Abstinence,  poor  food,  indiges- 
tion, and  loss  of  rest  impair  the  tone  of  the 
brain  and  favor  the  development  of  melan- 
choly, irritability,  and  insanity.  Rich  blood 
nourishes  the  brain ;  poor,  watery  blood 
absorbs  and  removes  cerebral   substance.     The 


Joseph  Bodes  Buchanan,  M.D.       177 

food  should  be  varied  to  suit  the  individual 
constitution,  but  as  a  general  rule  animal  food 
and  alcoholic  drinks  are  not  favorable  to  the 
best  condition  of  the  brain,  although  in  very 
cold  weather  they  are  less  objectionable  than 
in  the  warm  or  temperate.  Whenever  freely 
used,  they  diminish  the  relative  power  of  the 
moral  and  intellectual  portions  of  the  brain. 
Their  tendencies  coincide  so  well,  it  is  an 
inevitable  inference  that  a  diminished  con- 
sumption of  animal  food  would  be  followed 
by  a  diminished  appetite  for  alcoholic  liquids, 
and  by  an  increased  development  in  the 
masculine  constitution  of  those  qualities  which 
render  woman  more  temperate  and  refined 
than    man. 

4.  Secretion. — The  brain  is  analogous  in 
its  vital  character  to  the  glandular  or  secre- 
ting organs,  and  sympathizes  with  all  of 
them.  Hence  it  is  indispensable  to  a  sound 
cerebral  condition  to  maintain  every  secretion 
in  healthy  activity.  This  is  indeed  far  more 
important  than  muscular  exercise,  and  is  to 
some  extent  a  substitute  for  it.  The  secre- 
tions of  the  skin,  lungs,  liver,  kidneys  and 
bowels  are  all  indespensable,  and    every  inter- 


178       Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

ruption  should  command  immediate  attention. 
Dr.  James  Johnson  said  he  never  felt  so  well 
prepared  for  intellectual  effort  as  just  after  his 
liver  had  been  roused  by  a  cholagogue  medicine. 

Much  more  might  profitably  be  said,  but  I 
would  conclude  with  this  suggestion,  that  he 
who  by  the  foregoing  rules  brings  up  his  brain 
to  its  best  condition  will  find  it  so  active,  so 
warm,  and  well  supplied  with  blood,  in  every 
part,  that  he  will  be  conscious  of  its  action, 
and  will  be  able  to  discover  many  of  the 
functions  of  the  different  regions  by  the  local 
sensations  in  the  head — the  sense  of  warmth, 
heat  and  tension  where  the  organs  are  active, 
the  aching  or  tenderness  where  they  are  fa- 
tigued, the  absence  of  any  sensation  where 
they  are  inactive,  and  the  pain  or  tenderness 
where  they  have  been  subjected  to  painful 
mental   impressions. 

Under    a   proper    cerebral    hygiene,    there 

should   be   a   consciousness    of   vital   action,    a 

gentle  warmth,  and  slight  tension  over  the  head 

generally,  and  especially  in  the  superior  regions. 

Yery   respectfully, 

Joseph  Rodes  Buchanan. 
Oct.  27,  1877. 


Gerrit  Smith,  179 

Y. 

GERRIT  SMITH. 

(Written  by  his  Daughter.) 

Dear  Sir :  In  compliance  with  your  re- 
quest, I  am  happy  to  give  a  brief  statement 
of  my  father's  mode  of  life. 

He  was  a  man  of  large  frame,  was  six 
feet  in  height,  and  weighed,  ordinarily,  from  one 
hundred  and  eighty-five  to  two  hundred  pounds. 
His  constitution  was  wonderful — prolonging 
his  life  to  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  in  spite  of 
excessive  mental  labor,  sedentary  habits,  seri- 
ous local  difficulties,  requiring  repeated  surgi- 
cal operations,  and,  above  all,  an  attack  of 
dyspepsia,  resulting  in  a  temporary  insanity  of 
a   most   trying  character. 

He  generally  rose  about  six  o'clock,  re- 
mained in  his  dressing-room  until  half-past 
seven,  breakfasted  at  eight,  eating  sparingly 
of  meat,  but  freely  of  fruit,  cream,  and  Gra- 
ham-bread. For  the  last  year  or  two  he  took 
a  cup  of  tea  at  the  close  of  the  meal,  but 
for  more  than  twenty  or  thirty  years  of  his 
life  took  neither  tea  nor  coffee,  and  for  a  year 
or   more   he  ate  no  meat.      At  dinner  he  was 


180     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

more  fond  of  vegetables  and  dessert  than  of 
meat.  He  never  touched  the  castors,  and 
often  said  that  he  kept  his  "  child's-palate," 
liking  sweets,  but  disliking  condiments.  This 
peculiarity  was  often  pretty  severely  tried  dur- 
ing the  long  period  (from  ten  to  fifteen  years) 
in  which  he  scrupulously  abstained  from  the 
products  of  slave  labor.  For  the  last  3^ear 
or  two,  yielding  to  the  urgent  wishes  of  his 
physician,  he  took  a  glass  of  Rhine-wine  at 
dinner,  using  the  only  wine-glass  in  the  house ! 
Tea  was  a  very  light  repast,  consisting,  often, 
simply  of  a  bit  of  bread  and  butter,  and  a 
cup  of  weak  tea. 

He  retired  early,  rarely  being  up  later 
than  ten  o'clock.  But  in  cases  of  emergency 
he  waived  this  habit.  When  in  Congress  he 
voted  on  the  Nebraska  Bill,  which  came  before 
the  House  in  one  of  its  night  sessions.  For 
several  years  after  his  father's  death,  when 
burdened  with  the  care  of  an  estate  of  seven 
hundred  thousand  acres,  he  would,  occasionally, 
after  working  hard  all  day,  remain  at  his 
desk  until  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  Every 
evening,  after  disposing  of  the  mail,  answer- 
ing  letters   and  reading   newspapers   (he   read 


Gerrit  Smith.  181 

from  sixty  to  seventy  papers  a  week),  he  came 
to  the  parlor  and  spent  an  hour  or  more  in 
delightful  conversation  on  the  news  of  the  day, 
old  friends,  and  scenes — amusing  anecdotes 
coming  in  now  and  then  with  scraps  of 
verse,  little  bits  of  pleasantry  and  lov- 
ing words  for  all  of  us.  These  charming 
moments  flew  by  and  sometimes  overlapped 
the  usual  hour  for  retiring.  Latterly,  a  few 
gentle  gymnastic  exercises,  suggested  by  and 
always  pleasantly  recalling  his  friend  Judge 
Conkling,    closed   the    day. 

For  a  long  period  it  was  his  habit  to 
walk  from  two  to  three  miles  daily,  going 
through  a  series  of  arm  exercises;  but  of 
late  years  the  walk  seldom  exceeded  a  mile 
and  a  half.  He  was  rarely  deterred  by 
deep  snows,  mud,  or  heavy  storms.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  rode  daily  on  horseback,  and 
continued  this  habit  until  he  was  over  seventy. 

He  was  stricken  with  apoplexy  Dec.  26, 
1877,  and,  two  days  later,  passed  away  pain- 
lessly   and    unconsciously. 

With  kind  regards,  your  friend, 

Elizabeth  S.  Miller. 
Geneva,  Dec.  7,  1877. 


182     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 
VL 

THOMAS   WENTWORTH    HIGGIJSTSON. 

Dear  Sir :  For  answer  to  your  letter  I 
can  saj  that  I  have  been  a  busy  worker  with 
the  brain  all  my  life,  and  have  enjoyed  very 
unusual  health.  I  am  now  fifty-three,  and 
have  not  been  confined  to  the  house  by  ill- 
ness since  I  was  seventeen,  except  for  a  short 
time  during  the  war,  when  suffering  from  the 
results  of  a  wound.  This  favorable  result  I 
attribute  to  (1)  a  good  constitution  and  an 
elastic  temperament;  (2)  simple  tastes,  disin- 
clining me  to  stimulants  and  narcotics,  such 
as  tea,  coffee,  wine,  spirits  and  tobacco ;  (3) 
a  love  of  athletic  exercises;  (4)  a  lifelong 
habit  of  writing  by  daylight  only;  (5)  the 
use  of  homoeopathic  medicines  in  the  early 
stages  of  slight  ailments. 

I  have  never  been  a  special  devotee  or 
health,  I  think,  but  have  followed  out  my 
natural  tastes ;  and  have  certainly  enjoyed  phys- 
ical life  very  much.  It  may  be  well  to  add 
that,  though,  as  I  said,  my  constitution  was 
good   and  my  frame   always    large,    I  had  yet 


Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson.        183 

an  unusual  number  of  children's  diseases,  and 
have  often  been  told  that  my  life  was  sev- 
eral times  preserved,  in  infancy,  against  all 
expectation,  by  the  unwearied  care  and  de- 
votion of  my  mother.  This  may  encourage 
some  anxious  parents. 

Yery  truly  yours, 

Thos.  AYentwokth  Higginson. 

P.  S. — In  view  of  the  present  solicitude 
as  to  the  decay  of  the  original  New  England 
stock,  it  may  be  well  to  say  that  I  am  the 
descendant  of  several  of  the  very  oldest 
Puritan  families,  and  that  I  can  find  no  record 
or  tradition  of  any  ancestor  who  was  physically 
as  large  as  myself.  I  trust,  however,  that  I 
shall  not  equal  in  ]ongevity  the  Reverend 
John  Higginson,  one  of  these  ancestors,  who 
died  in  1708,  aged  ninety-two. 
Newport,  R.  I.,  Nov.  11,  1877. 


184:     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 
VII. 

KORTON  S.   TOWNSHEND,   M.D. 

My  Dear  Doctor :  You  ask  for  a  state- 
ment of  facts  in  my  personal  experience 
that  have  a  bearing  on  the  subject  of  Mental 
Hygiene.  I  shall  cheerfully  comply  with  your 
request,  but  I  fear  that  the  even  tenor  of  my 
life  will  enable  me  to  furnish  but  little  that 
is  worthy  of  your  attention.  Such  experiences 
as  I  can  recall  will  group  themselves  under 
the  following  heads :  parentage,  diet,  labor, 
study,  and  faith,  or  philosophy. 

First.  My  parents  descended  from  a  vig- 
orous and  healthy  ancestry;  both  of  them  were 
considerably  more  than  eighty  years  of  age 
when  they  died.  They  wTere  persons  of  some 
education,  of  temperate  and  industrious  habits, 
and  of  robust  health,  almost  to  the  close  of 
life.  From  what  I  recollect  of  them,  they 
must  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  born 
before  nerves  came  into  fashion.  The  physi- 
cal and  mental  health  which  I  have  enjoyed 
is  doubtless  due  to  a  good  constitution  in- 
herited, rather  than  to  any  special  care  of  my 
own. 


Norton  S.   Townshend,  Jf.D,         185 

Second.  For  more  than  sixty  years  I  have 
been  favored  with  almost  unbroken  health.  I 
have  had  no  experience  of  headache,  tooth- 
ache, or  of  many  other  aches  that  are  some- 
times supposed  to  be  the  unavoidable  inherit- 
ance of  humanity.  I  have  always  had  a  good 
appetite  for  plain  food,  and  have  always  been 
able  to  make  a  comfortable  meal  of  anything 
set  before  me,  without  stopping  for  a  mo- 
ment to  consider  how  my  stomach  would 
stand  affected,  and,  except  for  an  occasional 
sensation  of  hunger,  I  have  had  but  little 
consciousness  of  having  a  stomach.  For  some 
time,  while  a  student,  1  used,  as  an  experi- 
ment, a  spare  and  mostly  vegetable  diet,  and 
felt  sure  that  the  consequence  was  an  increase 
of  mental  force.  My  abstemiousness  was,  how- 
ever, carried  too  far,  and  eventually  I  found 
my  muscular  strength  diminished ;  I  became 
nervous  and  less  able  to  study  successfully: 
I  was  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  the  best 
physical  condition  is  likely  to  be  accompanied 
by  the  most  desirable  mental  state.  I  have 
never  used  intoxicating  liquors,  or  tobacco,  or 
medicine   enough  to  be  sensible  that  my  men- 


186     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

tal  condition  was  to  any  appreciable  degree 
affected. 

Third.  In  regard  to  employment  and  habits 
of  labor,  I  have  seen  some  variety.  I  have 
been  by  turns  farmer,  physician,  and  politi- 
cian, then  farmer  again,  soldier,  and  college 
professor.  I  have  sometimes  labored  like  a 
ditcher,  at  other  times  have  been  as  careful 
to  avoid  hard  work  as  a  congressman.  The 
result  of  my  experience  is  that  a  regular 
amount  of  muscular  labor  in  the  open  air  is 
conducive  both  to  physical  and  mental  health  ; 
then  the  liver,  the  kidneys,  and  the  skin,  per- 
form their  functions  in  the  best  manner,  the 
blood  contains  less  effete  matter,  the  brain  is 
best  fed,  and  the  mind  is  most  active.  A  sed- 
entary life,  however,  never  occasioned  me  any 
inconvenience,  when  I  could  regulate  my  food 
properly,  by  making  it  more  simple  and  less 
abundant. 

Fourth.  My  experience  compels  me  to  hold 
as  an  axiom,  that  mental  labor  is  essential  to 
mental  health.  Professional  men  are  com- 
pelled to  study  by  their  avocations,  and  if 
in  any  way  released  from  this  necessity,  after 
habits  of  mental  labor  have  become  established, 


Norton  S.   Toionshend,  M.D.         187 

they  will  study  from  choice,  and,  consequently, 
in  such  cases,  the  mind  long  retains  its  vigor. 
There  is  an  impression  abroad  that  physical 
labor  is  hostile  to  thought ;  that  the  working- 
man,  and  the  farmer  especially,  must  of  neces- 
sity be  unfitted  for  mental  work.  Doubtless 
it  is  true  that,  when  physical  labor  is  daily 
carried  to  the  extent  of  extreme  fatigue,  so 
soon  as  the  labors  of  the  day  are  over,  and 
the  cravings  of  hunger  are  satisfied,  the  body 
will  assert  its  need  of  rest:  sleep  will  take 
possession  of  the  weary  frame,  mental  labor 
is  impossible,  and  this  course  continued  the 
faculties  will  become  atrophied  from  non-use. 
But  with  the  farmer  this  state  of  things  is  neither 
necessary,  nor  profitable ;  he  will  always  find 
it  for  his  interest,  not  only  intellectually,  but 
pecuniarily,  to  take  some  time  for  writing  or 
reading  before  the  work  for  the  day  begins. 
This  time  may  be  longer  or  shorter  according 
to  the  season  of  the  year,  but  should  always 
be  enough  to  make  a  record  of  the  events  of 
the  preceding  day,  or  to  look  up  themes  for 
that  day's  cogitations.  Any  farm,  in  addition 
to  its  business  management,  will  afford  abund- 
ant scope  for  study,  before  its  natural  history 


188     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

will  be  fully  understood.  A  farmer  may  ask 
himself  whether  the  soil  he  tills  has  been 
transported,  or  is  chiefly  formed  from  the  rocks 
of  the  locality,  and  where  the  underlying 
rocks  themselves  belong  in  the  geologic  series, 
and  what  is  their  history.  Before  the  geology 
and  mineralogy  of  any  farm  is  thoroughly 
understood,  much  of  the  earth's  make-up  will 
be  mastered.  The  farmer  may  wish  to  know 
the  plants  that  he  finds  about  his  home;  this 
will  require  the  persevering  study  of  botany, 
a  delightful  branch  of  science,  and  very  profit- 
able for  mental  health  and  discipline ;  or  he 
may  wish  to  know  the  animals  about  him, 
both  wild  and  tame;  the  birds,  of  which  some 
are  his  best  friends  and  some  are  not;  the  in- 
sects that  flit  or  creep  about  are  legion,  but 
may  all  be  known  by  persevering  study.  The 
time  required  for  the  systematic  study  of  any 
branch  of  natural  history  need  not  be  great; 
the  real  student  will  add  a  specimen  to  his 
cabinet  of  minerals,  to  his  herbarium,  or  to 
his  collection  of  insects,  in  the  same  time 
that  it  takes  his  self-indulgent  neighbor  to 
light  his  pipe.  One  would  think  a  farmer 
could  hardly   fail   to  observe  and  note  all  the 


Norton  S.   Townshend,  M.D.         189 

meteorologic  changes  in  the  region  where  he 
lives,  of  such  vital  interest  to  him  is  everything 
that  pertains  to  climate.  Then,  in  addition 
to  these  enticing  fields  for  investigation,  the 
farmer  is  invited  to  mental  effort  by  the 
duties  he  owes  to  his  family,  to  the  state, 
and  to  humanity.  To  properly  instruct  his 
children,  to  vote  intelligently,  and  to  under- 
stand the  many  questions  that  affect  society,  he 
must  study,  as  well  as  work ;  and  in  doing 
this  he  will  be  likely  to  secure  for  himself 
the  greatest  of  earthly  blessings — a  sound 
mind  in  a  sound  body.  Do  you  say  that  such 
a  life  is  impossible  for  a  farmer  ?  Pardon  me, 
I  know  that  it  is  not ;  what  is  needed  to  make 
such  a  farmer's  life  the  rule,  instead  of  the  ex- 
ception, is  to  put  our  young  men  upon  the 
right  track,  and  to  teach  them  how  to  make  a 
fair  beginning. 

Fifth.  Finally,  for  the  preservation  of 
mental  health,  one  needs  some  faith,  or  philoso- 
phy. The  annoyances,  disappointments,  pains, 
and  sorrows  of  life  are  innumerable;  even 
when  not  invited  by  our  own  misconduct  they 
daily  and  hourly  beset  us.  Amid  all  these, 
some   faith,  upon  which  the  mind  can  rest  ab- 


190     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

solutely,  is  essential ;  though  perhaps  it  matters 

less   what    the    faith     or    philosophy    may   be 

than  that  it    be  held   unfalteringly.     Probably 

no    faith,   true    or   false,  will   greatly    mitigate 

the  intensity  of  our   afflictions;   but   any  faith, 

if  firmly  held,  may   serve    as    an    anchor    in 

a    storm,    and   save    the   mind   from   drifting 

to  total   ruin. 

Truly  yours, 

N.  S.  Townshend. 
Columbus,  Nov.  5,  1877. 

YIII. 

EDWARD  BALTZER 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  introducing  to 
American  readers  one  of  the  leading  advo- 
cates of  health  reform  in  Germany,  the  Rev. 
Edward  Baltzer,  President  of  the  German 
National  Yegetarian  Society,  editor  of  the 
monthly  journal  of  the  society,  and  minister 
of  a  free  religious  association.  From  his  re- 
tired home  at  Nordhausen,  in  the  Harz 
mountains,  he  has  for  many  years  exerted  a 
wide  influence  through  his  journal,  and  his 
published  writings  (some  thirty  volumes  and 
pamphlets).     He    is    now    advanced    in  years. 


Edward  Baltzer  191 

but  continues  his  work  with  seemingly  un- 
abated vigor.  An  invitation  to  contribute 
some  items  of  his  personal  experience  to  this 
volume   has   elicited   the   following  reply. 

M.  L.  H. 
[Translation.] 

Thanking  you  for  sending  me  a  copy  of 
your  book,  the  translation  of  Schlickeysen's 
"Fruit  and  Bread,"  which  I  shall  not  fail  to 
notice  in  the  Yereins  Blatt  (the  journal 
of  the  Yegetarian  Society),  I  willingly  com- 
ply with  your  request  to  give  you  my  experi- 
ence with  reference  to  the  influence  of  veg- 
etarianism upon  the  brain,  nervous  system, 
etc. 

In  the  year  1848,  while  a  member  of  the 
Prussian  Assembly  from  my  electoral  dis- 
trict, I  became  involved  in  an  insurrection 
and  was  dangerously  wounded  in  the  left  side 
of  my  skull  and  body.  For  a  month  ice  was 
kept  upon  my  head,  and  I  recovered,  but 
with  the  loss  of  hearing  in  the  left  ear,  in 
which,  however,  I  experienced  a  constant 
roaring,  and  suffered  also  until  recently  from 
cold  feet,  difficulty  of  digestion,  and  headache, 
so   that  I  was  able  to  work    and  to  attend  to 


192     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

the  duties  of  my  calling  only  with  difficulty 
and   with  frequent  interruptions. 

All  the  efforts  of  physicians,  the  water  cure 
and  the  most  careful  and  moderate  diet  were 
of  no   avail. 

Sea  bathing  (in  the  Baltic),  however,  some- 
what improved  my  general  health,  but  the 
above-mentioned  difficulties  continued  and  I 
suffered  on  through  eighteen  weary  years. 
In  1866  I  adopted  a  vegetarian  diet,  and  in 
a  very  short  time  experienced  a  great  im- 
provement. My  digestion  became  good,  my 
feet  were  no  longer  cold  (I  wear  no  stock- 
ings), and  the  chronic  headache  disappeared. 
For  the  first  time  in  many  years  I  experi- 
enced the  delightful  consciousness  of  health, 
with  a  correspondingly  increased  desire  for 
work. 

I  fell,  since  then,  into  the  error  of  over- 
working, and  suffered  in  consequence  a  cer- 
tain nervous  excitability  which  was  aggravated 
by  the  continued  affection  of  the  left  ear,  in 
which  all  acute  sounds  caused  pain,  so  that 
I  was  obliged  to  forego  the  pleasures  of  so- 
cial intercourse  and  of  music,  which  I  had 
previously  much    enjoyed.     In   1876  I  had  a 


Edward  Baltzer.  193 

serious  illness,  from  which  I  fully  recovered, 
and  am  now  also  entirely  free  from  the  diffi- 
culty  in    my  head. 

I  have  thus  had  a  rich  experience  in  the 
care  of  health,  and  have  learned  the  injurious 
effects  of  tobacco,  spirituous  liquors  and  a 
carnivorous  diet,  and  especially  how  they 
impair  the  nervous  system  and  thereby  the 
mind. 

The  well  -  organized  mind  is  indeed  its 
own  master,  but  the  power  of  self-control  is 
strengthened  by  a  life  in  accordance  with  nat- 
ural law.  Vegetarianism,  rightly  understood, 
is  the  true  method,  alike  for  the  sound  and 
the  unsound,  but  as  yet  its  teachings  are  heard 
only  as  the  voice  of  the  preacher  in  the  wil- 
derness, yet  blessed  are  the  few  who  hear  and 
practice  it — that  is,  those  who  practice  it  in 
love  and  with  the  understanding. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  sending  you  the  cur- 
rent numbers  of  the  Vereins  Blatt,  and  will 
continue  to  send  the  future  issues,  and  re- 
main 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Edward  Baltzer, 
(Minister  of  the  Free  Religious  Association.) 

NORDHATTSEN,   Nov.   0,   1877. 


194-     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

IX. 

WM.  LLOYD  GARRISON. 

Dear  Sir :  Accept  my  thanks  for  your 
kindness  in  sending  me  several  numbers  of 
the  Herald  of  Health,  together  with  the 
two  little  tracts,  entitled  "  The  Health  Habits 
of  Young  Men,"  and  also  one  of  aged  men, 
in  the  persons  of  William  Cullen  Bryant  and 
William  Howitt ;  all  of  which  I  have  read 
with    great    interest. 

My  case  presents  nothing  worth  record- 
ing. My  habits  have  always  been  simple 
and  regular,  especially  in  regard  to  diet. 
Though  not  ranking  myself  among  vegeta- 
rians, I  care  very  little  for  animal  food,  and 
can  dispense  with  it  at  any  time  without  an 
effort.  I  have  been  a  teetotaller  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  and  have  always  abominated 
the  use  of  tobacco  in  every  form.  I  have 
not  been  addicted  to  taking  regular  exercise, 
have  had  no  gymnastic  experience,  and  un- 
doubtedly have  been  too  sedentary  in  this 
respect,  especially  as  the  pressure  upon  my 
brain  was  so  constant  and  severe  during 
more  than  thirty  years'  conflict  with  the  whole 


Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison — A.  B.  Alcott.    195 

nation  for  the  overthrow  of  the  chattel 
slavery.  I  have  generally  used  tea  and  coffee, 
not  strong  in  quality,  nor  copious  in  quantity, 
but  feel  no  "  aching  void "  where  they  are 
not  to  be  had,  always  being  abundantly  sat- 
isfied with  a  glass  of  pure  cold  water.  I 
have  ever  deemed  it  a  most  fortunate  thing 
that  I  attached  myself  to  the  temperance 
cause,  almost  at  its  inception. 
Respectfully  yours, 

Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison. 
Roxbury,  Jan.  30,  1878. 


A.  BRONSON  ALCOTT. 

Dear  Sir :  Half  a  century,  mostly  con- 
fined to  fruit  and  bread  diet,  along  with 
the  dispositions  and  habits  which  the  Chris- 
tian regimen  promotes,  has  confirmed  the 
truth  and  beauty  of  the  doctrines  set  forth 
so  ably  in  your  translation  of  Schlickeysen's 
treatise  entitled  "  Fruit  and  Bread :  a  Scien- 
tific Diet."  It  is  a  timely  volume  for  the 
perusal  of  the  general  public,  and  especially 
for  parents  and  reformers  of  all  classes.     Books 


196     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

like  this,  treating  of  the  full  table  of  human 
innerments,  are  particularly  needed  for  in- 
structing our  people  in  the  best  regimen  for 
ensuring  wholesome  and  vigorous  habits  of 
living  and  thinking.  The  whole  community 
suffers  beyond  measure  for  the  want  of  a 
finer  scientific  discrimination  of  the  laws  of 
vital  as  of  spiritual  chemistry,  enabling  us 
to  tap  the  core  of  social  and  moral  evils 
effectually. 

Your  promised  papers  on  the  hygiene 
for  farmers  and  mechanics  will,  I  hope,  reach 
the  far  wider  and  not  less  hungering  com- 
munity. 

You  "  wish  to  know  how  I  have  trained 
my  brain  to  such  fine  thinking  as  my 
books  display  ? "  I  may  best  refer  you  to 
your  translation  of  "  Fruit  and  Bread "  for 
the   fullest   reply    to   your   question. 

Yet  I  may  properly  add,  however,  that 
a  temperament  inherited  from  a  hardy  and 
active  ancestry  doubtless  favored  the  forma- 
tion of  habits  that  have  thus  far  given  a 
charm  to  my  days,  and  promise,  if  I  am 
faithful    to    the    end,   a    lengthened    longevity 


A.  Br  orison  AlcotL  197 

— to  round  out  a  full  century  of  busy 
existence  were  not  unworthy  of  one's  human 
destiny. 

As  to  my  accepted  bill  of  fare,  I  may  add, 
moreover,  that  fruits  rank  first  and  highest 
in  the  pyramid ;  bread  properly  next ;  and 
vegetables  lowest,  and  last,  at  its  base.  The 
distilled  juices  are  forbidden.  Flesh,  if  en- 
tering but  slightly,  is  to  the  fairest  tempera- 
ments especially  unfriendly,  if  not  demoraliz- 
ing: The  less  of  it  the  better;  the  more 
genially  the  body  answers  to  the  mind ; 
the  more  ideal,  spiritual,  nor  the  less  prac- 
tical. Sobriety  in  all  pleasures  is  the  open 
way  to  the  highest  and  purest  satisfactions ; 
the  deepest,  holiest,  this  life  can  give  ;  as 
it  is  likewise  the  sole  gateway  to  future 
beatitude. 

You   have   my   thanks   for   the   gift   of  the 

book   of  "Fruit   and   Bread." 

Yery  truly  yours, 

A.  Bronson  Alcott. 
Concord,  Oct.  18,  1877. 


198     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 
XL 

S.  O.  GLEASON,  M.D. 
A     PLEA     FOR     HUNTING. 

Dear  Sir:  When  about  fifty  years  of  age, 
I  found  myself  worn  out,  so  that  I  could  walk 
but  a  short  distance,  or  do  but  little  mental 
work.  This  condition  had  been  brought  about 
by  excess  of  both  physical  and  mental  labor. 
The  muscular  and  nervous  systems  were  both 
enfeebled,  but  there  was  no  actual  disease  in 
either.  Travel  was  tried  with  some  benefit, 
but  I  did  not  get  the  best  results  of  my 
time  till  I  took  to  the  fields  and  forests — gun 
in  hand.  I  never  hunted,  and  never  owned 
a  gun  until  I  was  past  fifty.  The  experience, 
of  course,  was  new  and  fresh.  Such  had  been 
my  intense  activity  that  the  factor  of  hunting 
just  met  my  want. 

I  studied  the  habits  of  birds  and  learned 
something  of  taxidermy — used  all  the  skill  I 
could  master  in  my  efforts  to  secure  a  shot, 
which  often  requires  a  great  exercise  of  strat- 
egy; as  every  animal  and  every  bird  will 
escape  if  possible.  I  have  hunted  the  birds 
of  the  west  of  California,  of  Florida,  the  wild 


&  O.  Gleason,  M.D.  199 

turkey  of  the  cypress  swamps,  the  deer  in 
the  pine  woods,  the  partridge  of  our  forests, 
the  nimble  squirrel,  and  the  woodchuck  01 
meadow  and  upland. 

The  eye  is  constantly  under  training,  the 
ear  also;  e^ery  footprint  of  nature,  every 
motion  and  sound  must  be  caught  and  ana- 
lyzed. If  a  nut  falls,  if  leaves  rustle,  or  any 
unusual  sound  is  heard,  an  immediate  investi- 
gation must  be  had,  and  a  quick  decision  made 
as  to  the  cause.  The  gun  must  be  kept  in 
hand  so  as  to  be  used  with  great  celerity 
and  precision ;  as  a  few  seconds  may  give  or 
lose  you  a  shot. 

Thus  led  by  eye  and  ear,  the  muscles  of 
the  entire  body  are  called  into  the  most  de- 
lightful activity,  with  the  least  possible  effort 
of  the  will,  nearly  resembling  the  spontaneous 
movements  of  childhood.  The  muscles  seem 
to  obey  the  active  senses  with  real  delight, 
and  with  much  less  sense  of  fatigue  than  in 
any  other  mode  of  exercise.  Then  the  very 
stillness  of  the  forests  and  the  purity  of  the 
air  are  refreshing.  One  leaves  humanity  and 
cities  entirely  out  of  mind,  and  drinks  in  life 
even  in  the  sublime  solitude  of  the  grand   old 


200     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

forests.  The  muscular  system  gains  in  strength, 
"blood  is  sent  to  the  extremities  and  to  the 
surface,  the  skin  becomes  active,  the  brain  is 
released  of  its  excess  of  circulation,  the  ner- 
vous system  is  rested,  the  entire  man  refreshed 
and  renewed. 

For  the  past  ten  years,  hunting  has  been 
my  chief  source  of  recreation.  The  interest 
still  is  keen,  the  results  are  always  delight- 
ful and  refreshing.  Many  a  magnificent  old 
tree  has  become  my  friend,  many  a  stream 
and  glen  my  delight,  and  a  multitude  of  ex- 
quisite pictures  of  natural  scenery  are  treas- 
ured in  my  memory.  Every  season  I  spend 
weeks  (with  my  gun  in  hand)  in  forest  and 
field.  I  keep  all  my  senses  keen,  and  my 
mind  active ;  my  nervous  system  is  more 
quiet  and  restful ;  I  sleep  better,  and  digest 
more,   by   reason   of    this   mode   of  recreation. 

I  intend  to  hunt  as  long  as  my  eye  can 
see,  or  my  ear  can  hear,  or  my  limbs  trans- 
port me  to  forest  and  field.  While  cities  ex- 
haust, nature  is  full  of  rest  and  repose. 

S.    O.    GrLEASON,    M.D. 

Elmira  Water  Cure,  ) 
Nov.  20,  1877.  J 


William  E.  Dodge,  201 

XII. 
WILLIAM  E.  DODGE. 

Dear  Sir :  You  ask  me  to  give  you  my 
views  as  to  the  best  method  of  promoting 
health    and   perpetuating  life. 

You  know  my  views  as  to  temperance  and 
I  can  only  say  that  fifty  years'  experience 
and  observation  confirm  the  opinion  that  to- 
tal abstinence  from  the  use  of  alcoholic  drinks 
is  best  for  the  promotion  of  permanent  health. 

Regular  systematic  employment,  aided  by 
out-door  exercise,  is  a  great  preserver  of  health. 

A  cheerful  disposition,  which  trusts  in 
God's  kind  providence,  and  discharges  daily 
duty,  leaving  results  in  his  hands,  is  another 
preventive   influence. 

A  regular  hour  for  meals  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, and  an  early  retirement  for  rest,  and  ris- 
ing generally  with  the  sun,  are  also  to  be 
recommended. 

Every  man,  by  careful  watching,  learns 
what  kinds  of  food  do  not  agree  with  him, 
and  are  not  easily  digested ;  and,  if  he  desires 
good  health,  must   avoid   them. 

Never    allow    a    day    to     pass    without     a 


202     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

regular  discharge  from  the  bowels,  and  have 
some  regular  hour  for  this  duty  and  the 
system  will  respond  to  it.  No  one  can  have 
permanent   good   health  who  neglects  this. 

Watch  against  colds  by  keeping  out  of 
drafts,  and  never  allow  a  cold  or  cough  to 
continue   without   prompt   attention. 

Be  careful  to  keep  the  feet  dry  and  warm 
and  the  head   cool. 

Above  all,  have  the  great  work  for  eter- 
nity done  and  settled  by  repentance,  faith, 
and  trust  in  Jesus  Christ,  so  that  the  mind 
may  be  at  rest  and  not  constantly  anxious 
about   death  and  its   consequences. 

The  following,  which  I  cut  from  a  paper, 
has  been  repeated  hundreds  of  times,  and 
has  been  of  great  comfort  to  me,  and  is  a 
good  receipt   for   long   life   and  health. 

"Make  a  firm-built  fence   of  trust. 

All   around   to-day, 
Fill  it  in  with    useful  work, 

And  within   it  stay. 
Look  not  through   the  shelt'ring  bars, 

Anxious  for  the   morrow, 
God  will  help,  whatever  comes, 

Be  it  joy  or  sorrow.'''' 

Respectfully  yours, 

W.  E.  Dodge. 

New  York,  Oct.  21,  1877. 


Henry  Hyde  Lee.  203 

XIII. 
HEXRT  HYDE  LEE. 

Dear  Sir :  You  ask  me  to  make  a  few 
suggestions,  giving  my  views  of  the  proper 
hygiene  for  the  brain  and  nerves,  from  the 
standpoint   of   a   business    man. 

Let  me  premise  that  business  men,  espe- 
cially merchants,  are  subject  to  many  trials 
which  more  or  less  affect  the  nervous  sys- 
tem. There  is  the  constant  strain  to  keep 
watch  of  the  many  causes  which  determine 
the  fluctuations  in  value  of  goods,  and  to  be 
instantly  ready  for  any  future  possibilities  of 
advantage  or  disaster.  We  are  often  tempted 
to  deal  in  grain  or  stocks  in  a  way  that  is 
little  better  than  gambling.  Some  of  us,  in 
our  excitement,  go  on  without  rule  or  sys- 
tem, until  nothing  but  confusion  results. 
Sometimes  this  excitement  becomes  a  step- 
ping-stone to  a  dash  into  politics,  which  is 
pretty  nearly  fatal  to  the  merchant's  proper 
work.  Worse  than  all  these  things  is  the 
habit  which  some  have  of  carrying  their  busi- 
ness with  them  to  their  homes,  and  even  to 
their   beds,   on   which   they   lie   awake   in    the. 


204     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

attempt  to  solve  some  knotty  problem ;  others, 
when  overworked,  take  stimulants,  instead  of 
taking  rest — the  thing  which  nature  dictates. 
All  these  things  imperil  the  nervous  system, 
and  in  the  end  cause  physiological  bank- 
ruptcy. 

As  to  suggestions,  I  may  say  I  have  learned 
that  regular  sleep,  or  a  good  measure  of  it,  is 
most  important  for  a  healthy,  active  brain.  If 
from  any  unusual  strain  or  complication  of 
business,  you  cannot  sleep,  do  not  resort  to 
drugs,  but  remain  quiet  at  home ;  you  can  take 
a  drive  in  the  country,  but  keep  away  from 
excitements. 

Next  to  sleep,  eat  well  and  regularly; 
but  let  your  diet  be  plain  and  wholesome, 
and  such  as  suits  the  appetite.  Do  not  eat 
between  meals,  or  late  at  night.  I  have 
learned  that  a  large  drink  of  water,  taken 
just  before  going  to  bed,  helps  one  to  sleep, 
opens  the  pores,  and  throws  off  a  slight  cold. 
It  also  promotes  health.  It  is  important  that 
a  business  man  have  simple  tastes  and  good 
habits;  therefore,  avoid  alcoholic  drinks — cof- 
fee and  tea  are    quite  stimulating   enough. 

If    you    are    able,    have    a    good    pair    of 


Dio  Lewis,  M.D.  205 

horses,  and  drive  them  yourself.  It  affords  a 
healthy  and  pleasant  excitement,  especially  if 
they  have  mettle,  and  are  high  steppers. 

Keep  a  good  gun  and  fishing  tackle,  and 
use  them  occasionally.  Good  manly  recrea- 
tion helps  one  to  think  clearly.  The  con- 
stant labor  in  the  counting-house  is  very 
wearying,  and  sensible  recreations  make  it 
more  easily  borne. 

Avoid   worry,  excitement,    and  bores,  and, 

in  short,   eat    well,    sleep    well,     and    pay    as 

you  go. 

Yery   truly, 

Henry   Hvde  Lee. 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  Dec,  1877. 


XIY. 

DIO  LEWIS,  M.D. 

To  Dio  Lewis  Holbkook — My  Dear  JYame- 
sake :  I  trust  you  will  never  learn  to  use 
tobacco.  It  is  doing  more  to  destroy  the 
brains  and  nerves  of  American  boys  than  any 
other  agency  that  can  be  named. 

"Within  half  a  century  no  young  man  ad- 
dicted  to   the   use   of  tobacco    has   graduated 


206     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

at  the  head  of  his  class  in  Harvard  College, 
though  five  out  of  six  of  the  students  have 
used  it.  The  chances,  you  see,  were  five  in 
six  that  a  smoker  or  chewer  would  gradu- 
ate at  the  head  of  his  class,  if  tobacco  does 
no  harm.  But  during  half  a  century  not  one 
victim  of  tobacco  was  able  to  come  out 
ahead. 

If  a  man  wishes  to  train  for  a  boat-race, 
his  trainer  will  not  let  him  use  tobacco,  be- 
cause it  weakens  his  brain  and  muscles  so 
that   he   can't   win. 

If  a  young  man  wishes  to  train  for  a  long 
walk — say  a  hundred  miles  in  twenty-four 
hours — his  trainer  will  not  let  him  touch  a 
cigar,  because  he  knows  that  the  young  chap 
will  not  be  able  to  hold  out  in  such  a  long 
walk. 

If  a  young  fellow  would  prepare  to  play 
a  fine  game  of  billiards,  while  he  is  training 
for  the  tournament  his  trainer  will  not  let  him 
touch   tobacco. 

And,  as  you  see  from  the  experience  m 
Harvard  College,  if  a  man  will  train  him- 
self to  graduate  from  a  college  with  honor, 
he  must   not  use  tobacco. 


Frederic  Beecher  Perkins.  207 

It  is  a  powerful  poison,  and  the  brain 
cannot    escape  if  it  be  used  in    any  form. 

My  dear  namesake,  I  can  hardly  imagine 
any  other  news  from  you  which  would  hurt 
my  feelings  so  much  as  to  hear  that  you 
had   begun  to  smoke   cirgarettes. 

With  most  affectionate  solicitude  for  your 
welfare,    I    am   your   namesake, 

Dio  Lewis. 
Oakland,   Cal.,   Dec.    6,   1877. 


XT. 

FREDERIC  BEECHER  PERKINS. 

My  Dear  Doctor :  Whatever  I  can  say 
in  response  to  your  request  may  as  well  be 
in  the  form  of  a  letter  to  you,  I  suppose, 
as  in  any  other  ?  At  any  rate,  I  will  put 
it  so ;  and  you  are  hereby  authorized  to  doc- 
tor it  into  any  shape  that  will  suit  you 
better,  and  to  throw  it  away  if  you  prefer 
that. 

First  of  all,  so  far  as  my  experience  and 
observation  go,  I  should  say  that  the  one 
most  general  rule  for  mental  hygiene  is, 
Keep  the  body  healthy.     Nothing  is  more  ab- 


208     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

solutely  proved,  I  imagine  (so  far  as  any- 
thing can  be  proved  in  physiology),  than  that 
insanity  is  the  effect  of  a  disorder  in  the  mech- 
anism through  which  the  mind  acts,  not  a 
disorder  in  the  mind  itself.  And  this  state- 
ment I  take  to  be  valid,  whether  the  mind 
is  admitted  to  exist  separately  from  the  body 
or  not.  Accordingly,  it  follows  that  the  more 
perfect  all  the  physical  conditions,  the  bet- 
ter will  be  the  mental  products  delivered 
through   them. 

Second.  Next  under  this  one  general 
rule  may  perhaps  come  a  limitation  of  it. 
For  the  best  mental  results,  the  brain  ac- 
tivity must  have  the  other  activities  subor- 
dinated to  it.  No  student,  for  instance,  at  a 
manual  labor  school,  who  does  full  days'  works 
at  carpentering  or  farming,  can  also  do  full 
days'  works  at  learning.  And,  conversely,  if 
he  does  full  days'  works  in  the  study,  he  can't 
also  do  them  in  manual  work.  A  man  can  do 
one  work,  and  other  things  enough  for  exer- 
cise and  amusement.  But  no  one  man  can  do 
two  works.  Christ  stated  the  principle  over 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago  (Matt,  vi,  24), 
and,  like  his  whole  moral  code,  it  is  true  now, 


Frederic  Beecher  Perkins.  209 

as  it  was  then.  A  man  may  abuse  himself 
for  a  time,  and  seem  to  be  doing  two  works, 
but  he  will  soon  come  to  the  end  of  this  sort 
of  living  on  his  capital. 

Third.  Where  brain  activity  is  the  lead- 
ing object,  the  rule  for  the  rest  of  life  is,  mode- 
rate, agreeable  exercise,  but  not  fatigue.  Eat 
lightly,  rather  than  fully ;  exercise  in  the  open 
air — don't  work  in  the  open  air.  Play  at 
games  or  music — don't  work  at  them.  Be  con- 
tented to  do  your  best  at  some  one  thing. 
Few  enough  are  they  who  can  do  any  great 
things  in  one  line,  even ;  and  we  know  what 
Mr.  Jack-at-all-trades   was  master   of. 

Fourth.  At  whatever  part  of  the  day 
the  greatest  mental  effort  is  to  be  made,  the 
rest  of  the  body  should  at  that  time  be  fresh, 
and  free  from  need  of  exertion.  It  would 
be  absurd — physically  absurd,  I  mean,  not 
merely  ridiculous — for  a  man  to  attempt  to 
deliver  an  impassioned  speech  and  dance 
a  hornpipe  at  the  same  time.  It  would 
be  just  as  absurd,  although  it  would  not  look 
as  funny,  for  a  man  to  undertake  at  the  same 
time  to  digest  a  full  meal  and  to  think  out 
an    important     subject.     In    like    manner,     it 


210     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

would  be  absurd  for  a  man  who  has  an  im- 
portant speech  to  make  in  the  evening  to 
exhaust  himself  by  doing  a  full  day's  work 
at  morning. 

Fifth.  The  best  part  of  the  day  for  brain 
work  is  usually  the  latter  half  of  the  forenoon. 
The  strength  gained  by  the  night's  rest  is 
not  expended ;  the  vitality  is  no  longer 
called  upon  to  enable  the  stomach  to  deal 
with  breakfast,  and  the  strength  of  that 
meal  is  also  distributed  into  the  system ; 
and  the  day's  life  is  all  on  hand  to  be  lived. 
It  may  be  added  that  a  good  forenoon's 
brain  work  is  as  much  as  any  writer  ought 
to   do,   if  he    has    to    think    out    his    writing. 

Sixth.  This  supposed  breakfast  should  be 
light,  rather  than  heavy.  If  a  full  meal  is 
to  be  enjoyed,  it  should  be  when  there  is 
time  enough  left  for  digestion  before  going 
to  bed,  and  when  the  day's  work  is  over,  so 
that  the  brain  need  not  be  put  to  service 
during  digestion. 

lastly.  Few  people  can  live  exactly  by 
their  rules,  and  most  people  who  are  able 
and  willing  to  work  have  to  work  too  hard. 
For   most   people,   then,   my   code   must  come 


Samuel  A.  Foot,  LL.D.  211 

down  to  a  pretty  generalized  statement :  To 
use  your  brain  to  the  best  advantage,  use 
it  most  before  dinner  and  before  supper: 
eat  lightly  rather  than  heavily;  keep  good- 
natured   and   keep   well. 

Frederic  Beecher  Perkins. 
Boston  Public  Library,  Nov.  1,  1877. 

XV. 

JUDGE  SAMUEL  A.  FOOT,  LL.D. 

Dear  Sir :  Your  letter  of  the  20th  inst. 
has  been  received  and  read  with  interest. 
Your  proposed  publication  appears  to  me 
highly  meritorious,  and  I  am  willing  to  aid 
you  as  far  as  I  am  able.  You  will  see  by  an 
address  I  lately  delivered  in  my  native  town 
in  Connecticut,  and  which  I  send  you  by 
mail  to-day,  my  age  and  present  state  of 
preservation.  [We  see  by  this  address  that 
Judge  Foot  is  88  years  of  age,  and  in  good 
health.] 

There  are  a  few  facts  in  regard  to  my 
habits  of  life  which  may  be  useful  to  you. 

When  in  my  sophomore  year  at  college, 
I   read   Dr.   Franklin's   experiments   in   regard 


212     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

to  sleep,  and  his  conclusion  that  six  hours 
was  all  which  a  person  of  studious  and  sed- 
entary course  of  life  required ;  and  as  I  ex- 
pected practice  of  law  would  be  my  pursuit, 
I  determined  to  adopt  six  hours  as  my  por- 
tion of  time  for  sleep  each  twenty-four  hours. 
I  took  measures  to  fix  that  habit  upon  me, 
and  succeeded,  and  it  has  continued  through 
life. 

While  at  college,  like  most  foolish  youth, 
I  learned  to  use  tobacco,  and  used  it  freely 
until  I  was  twenty-five  years  of  age.  I  then 
became  satisfied  that  it  was  injuring  me,  and, 
after  a  severe  struggle  with  the  desire  for  it, 
was  able  to  give  it  up,  and  have  never  used 
it  since,    and  have  a  horror  of  it. 

In  the  early  part  of  my  professional  life, 
I  incurred  the  habit  of  setting  up  late,  some- 
times till  one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  mornino*. 
Finding  this  was  not  judicious,  I  changed  to 
the  opposite  extreme,  and  rose  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  As  this  injured  my  eyes,  I 
abandoned  it,  and  determined  to  rise  and  retire 
at  reasonable  hours,  and  from  that  time — 
which  was  when  I  was  about  thirty  years  of 
age — I  have  risen    at   half-past    five   from   the 


Mark  Hojpkins.  213 

middle  of  April  to  the  middle  of  September, 
and  at  six  the  rest  of  the  year,  and  laid  away 
my  papers  and  books  at  ten  o'clock,  and  re- 
tired to  rest  from  half-past  ten  to  eleven.  My 
diet  has  been  general,  neither  food  nor  drink 
confined  to  any  particular  article,  except  about 
the  time  I  abandoned  the  use  of  tobacco  I 
also  gave  up  the  use  of  all  intoxicating 
liquors.  In  a  word,  my  rule  of  life  has  been 
the  golden  one  of  being  "  temperate  in  all 
things,"    in    labor,    rest,    exercise,    drink    and 

diet. 

Yery  truly  yours, 

Samuel  A.  Foot. 
Geneva,  Dec.  27,  1877. 

XVII. 

MARK  HOPKINS. 

Dear  Sir:  I  do  not  regard  the  life  of  a 
student  as  unfavorable  to  health.  As  a  student 
the  one  danger  is  that  he  will  overtax  the 
brain.  The  danger  that  men  will  do  this  is 
increased  if  they  are  not  only  students  but 
public  speakers.  There  then  come  times  of 
pressure  when  the  temptation  to  excessive 
work  is  great. 


214      Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

As  1  have  usually  spoken  from  slight  notes, 

time   for   writing   has   not   been   indispensable, 

and  my  habit  has  been  to  study  till  my   head 

began  to  feel   heavy,   and   then    stop.      Under 

the   greatest    pressure,  I    have    rarely    studied 

after  ten  o'clock,  and   have   never   resorted   to 

narcotic  or  alcoholic   stimulants   to    enable  me 

to  work  longer.     Of  course,  the  general  health 

must  be  cared  for;  but   for   the   health  of  the 

brain  I  should  prescribe  but  two  things :   first, 

negatively,  abstinence  from  artificial  stimulants ; 

and,  second,  plenty  of  sleep. 

Truly  yours, 

Mark    Hopkins. 
Williams  College,  ) 
Feb.  7,  1878.        | 

XVIII. 

WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT. 

To  Joseph  Ii.  Richards,  Esq. — Dear  Sir: 
I  promised,  some  time  since,  to  give  you  some 
account  of  my  habits  of  life,  so  far,  at  least, 
as  regards  diet,  exercise,  and  occupation.  I 
am  not  sure  that  it  will  be  of  any  use  to  you, 
although  the  system  which  I  have  for  many 
years  observed    seems   to   answer   my   purpose 


William  Cullen  Bryant.  215 

very  well.  I  have  reached  a  pretty  advanced 
period  of  life,  without  the  usual  infirmities  of  old 
age,  and  with  my  strength,  activity,  and  bodily 
faculties  generally  in  pretty  good  preservation. 
How  far  this  may  be  the  effect  of  my  way  of 
life,  adopted  long  ago,  and  steadily  adhered  to, 
is  perhaps  uncertain. 

I  rise  early,  at  this  time  of  tne  year  about 
5|- ;  in  summer,  half  an  hour,  or  even  an  hour, 
earlier.  Immediately,  with  very  little  encum- 
brance of  clothing,  I  begin  a  series  of  exer- 
cises, for  the  most  part  designed  to  expand 
the  chest,  and  at  the  same  time  call  into  ac- 
tion all  the  muscles  and  articulations  of  the 
body.  These  are  performed  with  dumb-bells, 
the  very  lightest,  covered  with  flannel;  with  a 
pole,  a  horizontal  bar,  and  a  light  chair  swung 
around  my  head.  After  a  full  hour,  and  some- 
times more,  passed  in  this  manner,  1  bathe 
from  head  to  foot.  When  at  my  place  in  the 
country,  I  sometimes  shorten  my  exercises  in 
the  chamber,  and,  going  out,  occupy  my  sell 
for  half  an  hour  or  more  in  some  work 
which  requires  brisk  exercise.  After  my  bath, 
if  breakfast  be  not  ready,  1  sit  down  to  my 
studies  until  I  am   called. 


216     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

My  breakfast  is  a  simple  one — hominy  and 
milk,  or,  in  place  of  hominy,  brown  bread,  or 
oat-meal,  or  wheaten  grits,  and,  in  the  season, 
baked  sweet  apples.  Buckwheat  cakes  I  do  not 
decline,  nor  any  other  article  of  vegetable 
food,  but  animal  food  I  never  take  at  break- 
fast. Tea  and  coffee  I  never  touch  at  any 
time.  Sometimes  I  take  a  cup  of  chocolate, 
which  has  no  narcotic  effect,  and  agrees  with 
me  very  well.  At  breakfast  I  often  take 
fruit,  either  in  its  natural  state  or  freshly 
stewed. 

After  breakfast  I  occupy  myself  for  awhile 
with  my  studies,  and  then,  when  in  town,  I 
walk  down  to  the  office  of  The  Evening  Post, 
nearly  three  miles  distant,  and,  after  about 
three  hours,  return,  always  walking,  whatever 
be  the  weather  or  the  state  of  the  streets. 
In  the  country  I  am  engaged  in  my  literary 
tasks  till  a  feeling  of  weariness  drives  me  out 
into  the  open  air,  and  I  go  upon  my  farm 
or  into  the  garden  and  prune  the  trees,  or 
perform  some  other  work  about  them  which 
they  need,  and  then  go  back  to  my  books. 
I  do  not  often  drive    out,  preierring    to    walk. 

In  the  country  I  dine  early,  and  it  is  only 


William  Cullen  Bryant.  217 

at  that  meal  that  I  take  either  meat  or  fish, 
and  of  these  but  a  moderate  quantity,  making 
my  dinner  mostly  of  vegetables.  At  the  meal 
which  is  called  "tea,"  I  take  only  a  little 
bread  and  butter,  with  fruit,  if  it  be  on  the 
table.  In  town,  where  I  dine  later,  I  make 
but  two  meals  a  day.  Fruit  makes  a  consid- 
erable part  of  my  diet,  and  I  eat  it  at  almost 
any  part  of  the  day  without  inconvenience.  My 
drink  is  water,  yet  I  sometimes,  though  rarely, 
take  a  glass  of  wine.  I  am  a  natural  Tem- 
perance man,  finding  myself  rather  confused 
than  exhilarated  by  wine.  I  never  meddle 
with  tobacco,  except  to  quarrel  with  its  use. 

That  I  may  rise  early,  I,  of  course,  go  to 
bed  early :  in  town,  as  early  as  ten ;  in  the 
country,  somewhat  earlier.  For  many  years  I 
have  avoided  in  the  evening  every  kind  of 
literary  occupation  which  tasks  the  faculties, 
such  as  composition,  even  to  the  writing  ot 
letters,  for  the  reason  that  it  excites  the  ner- 
vous system  and  prevents  sound  sleep. 

My  brother  told  me,  not  long  since,  that 
he  had  seen  in  a  Chicago  newspaper,  and 
several  other  Western  journals,  a  paragraph 
in  which  it  is  said  that  I  am  in    the   habit   of 


218      Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

taking  quinine  as  a  stimulant ;  that  I  have  de- 
pended upon  the  excitement  it  produces  in 
writing  my  verses,  and  that  in  consequence  of 
using  it  in  that  way  I  had  become  as  deaf  as 
a  post.  As  to  my  deafness,  you  know  that 
to  be  false,  and  the  rest  of  the  story  is 
equally  so.  I  abominate  all  drugs  and  narcotics, 
and  have  always  carefully  avoided  everything 
which  spurs  nature  to  exertions  which  it  would 
not  otherwise  make.  Even  with  my  food  I 
do  not  take  the  usual  condiments,  such  as  pep- 
per, and  the  like. 

I  am,  sir,  truly  yours, 

W.  C.  Bryant. 

New  York,  March  30,  1871. 

Dear  Sir :  You  are  welcome  to  make 
what  use  you  think  proper  of  my  letter  to 
Mr.  Richards.  I  continue  to  pursue  the  same 
course  of  life  as  when  that  letter  was  writ- 
ten— only  I  have  added  to  my  daily  exercise 
whenever  circumstances  will  permit  half  an 
hour  of  brisk  motion  of  the  arms,  in  various 
directions,  without  any  implement,  but  in  such 
a   manner   as    to    open    the   chest,    and   favor 


William  Howiti.  219 

an   erect   attitude.      This    is   perhaps   a   trifle, 

but  I  have  thought  it  worth  mention. 

Yours  respectfully, 

W.  C.  Bryaot. 

Dr.  M.  L.  Holbrook. 

Roslyn,  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  ) 
November  3,  1877.  f 


XIX. 

WILLIAM   HOWITT. 

Dr.  M.  L.  Holbrook — My  Dear  Sir:  I 
am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  April  27, 
which  my  elder  daughter,  Mrs.  Alfred  Watts, 
the  author  of  the  "  Art  Student  in  Munich," 
has  forwarded  me  from  London.  I  have  read 
with  very  great  pleasure  the  letter  of  Mr. 
Bryant,  the  poet,  as  given  in  your  journal,  and 
I  congratulate  you  on  obtaining  the  conclusive 
evidence  of  so  distinguished  a  man ;  and,  also, 
in  having  established  such  a  journal  as 
The  Herald  of  Health,  for  no  subject  in  this 
fast-living  and  fast-thinking  age  is  of  more 
importance  than  that  of  laying  the  foundations 
of  a  sound  constitution  in  youth,  and  of  pre- 
serving that  constitution  through  life  by  at* 
tention  to  the  laws    and    dictates    of  Nature. 


220     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

This  is  an  indispensable  care,  if  we  mean  to 
pass  our  time  here  in  comfort  and  in  the  full 
vigor  of  our  intellects,  and,  I  may  add,  of 
healthy  moral  sentiments. 

I  shall,  therefore,  jot  down  with  much  sat- 
isfaction such  circumstances  and  habits  of  my 
life  as  I  believe  to  have  mainly  contributed  to 
these  results.  And,  in  the  first  place,  let  me 
observe  that  while  the  modes  of  my  own  life 
and  those  of  Mr.  Bryant  very  much  accord,  in 
a  few  particulars  they  differ,  as,  I  suppose, 
must  be  the  case  in  almost  any  two  individ* 
uals.  Mr.  Bryant  never  takes  coffee  or  tea. 
I  regularly  take  both,  find  the  greatest  re- 
freshment in  both,  and  never  experienced  any 
deleterious  effects  from  either,  except  in  one 
instance,  when,  by  mistake,  I  took  a  cup  oi 
tea  strong  enough  for  ten  men.  On  the  con- 
trary, tea  is  to  me  a  wonderful  refresher  and 
reviver.  After  long-continued  exertion,  as  in 
the  great  pedestrian  journeys  that  I  formerly 
made,  tea  would  always,  in  a  manner  almost 
miraculous,  banish  all  my  fatigue,  and  diffuse 
through  my  whole  frame  comfort  and  exhila- 
ration, without  any  subsequent  evil  effect. 

I  am  quite  well  aware  that  this  is  not  the 


William  Howitt.  221 

experience  of  many  others,  my  wife  among 
the  number,  on  whose  nervous  system  tea  acts 
mischievously,  producing  inordinate  wakeful- 
ness, and,  its  continued  use,  indigestion.  But 
this  is  one  of  the  things  that  people  should 
learn,  and  act  upon,  namely,  to  take  such 
things  as  suit  them,  and  avoid  such  as  do 
not.  It  is  said  that  Mithridates  could  live 
and  flourish  on  poisons,  and,  if  it  be  true  that 
tea  or  coffee  is  a  poison,  so  do  most  of  us. 
William  Hutton,  the  shrewd  and  humorous 
author  of  the  histories  of  Birmingham  and 
Derby,  and  also  a  life  of  himself,  scarcely  in- 
ferior to  that  of  Franklin  in  lessons  of  life- 
wisdom,  said  that  he  had  been  told  that  coffee 
was  a  slow  poison,  and,  he  added,  that  he 
had  found  it  very  slow,  for  he  had  drunk  it 
more  than  sixty  years  without  any  ill  effect. 
My  experience  of  it  has  been  the  same. 

Mr.  Bryant  also  has  recourse  to  the  use  of 
dumb-bells,  and  other  gymnastic  appliances. 
For  my  part,  I  find  no  artificial  practices  neces- 
sary for  the  maintenance  of  health  and  a  vig- 
orous circulation  of  the  blood.  My  only  gym- 
nastics have  been  those  of  Nature — walking, 
riding,  working  in   the  field  and  garden,  bath- 


222     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits, 

ing,  swimming,  etc.  In  some  of  those  practices, 
or  in  the  amount  of  their  use,  Nature,  in 
my  later  years,  has  dictated  an  abatement.  In 
Mr.  Bryant's  abhorrence  of  tobacco  I  fully 
sympathize.  That  is  a  poisoner,  a  stupefier, 
a  traitor  to  the  nervous  system,  and,  conse- 
quently, to  energy  and  the  spirit  of  enter- 
prise ;  so  I  renounced  it  once  and  forever 
before  I  reached  my  twentieth  year. 

The  main  causes  of  the  vigor  of  my  con- 
stitution and  the  retention  of  sound  health, 
comfort,  and  activity,  to  within  three  years  of 
eighty,  I  shall  point  out  as  I  proceed. 
First  and  foremost,  it  was  my  good  fortune 
to  derive  my  existence  from  parents  descended 
on  both  sides  from  a  vigorous  stock,  and  01 
great  longevity.  I  remember  my  great-grand- 
mother, an  old  lady  of  nearly  ninety;  my 
grandmother,  of  nearly  as  great  an  age.  My 
mother  lived  to  eighty-five,  and  my  father  to 
the  same  age.  They  were  both  of  them  tem- 
perate in  their  habits,  living  a  fresh  and 
healthy  country  life,  and  in  enjoyment  of 
that  tranquillity  of  mind  which  is  conferred 
by  a  spirit  of  genuine  piety,  and  which  con- 
fers, in  return,  health  and  strength. 


William.  Howitt.  223 

The  great  destroyers  of  life  are  not  labor 
and  exertion,  either  physical  or  intellectual, 
but  care,  misery,  crime,  and  dissipation.  My 
wife  derived  from  her  parentage  similar  ad- 
vantages, and  all  the  habits  of  our  lives, 
both  before  and  since  our  marriage,  have 
been  of  a  similar  character.  By-the-by,  though 
this  has  nothing  to  do  with  health,  I  may 
remark  that  your  correspondent  says  my  wife 
dresses  like  a  Friend.  It  is  a  mistake.  She 
dresses  as  any  other  lady  of  her  years  who 
is  simple  and  unostentatious  in  her  tastes. 

My  boyhood  and  youth  were,  for  the 
most  part,  spent  in  the  country;  and  all 
country  objects,  sports,  and  labors,  horse-racing 
and  hunting  excepted,  have  had  a  never-failing 
charm  for  me.  As  a  boy,  I  ranged  the 
country  far  and  wide  in  curious  quest  and 
study  of  all  the  wild  creatures  of  the  woods 
and  fields,  in  great  delight  in  birds  and  their 
nests,  climbing  the  loftiest  trees,  rocks  and 
buildings  in  pursuit  of  them.  In  fact,  the  life 
described  in  the  "Boy's  Country  Book"  was 
my  own  life.  No  hours  were  too  early  for 
me,  and  in  the  bright,  sunny  fields  in  the 
early  mornings,  amid  dews  and  odor  of  flowers, 


224:     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

I  breathed  that  pure  air  which  gave  a  life- 
long tone  to  my  lungs  that  I  still  reap  the 
benefit  of.  All  those  daily  habits  of  climb- 
ing, running,  and  working  developed  my  frame 
to  perfection,  and  gave  a  vigor  to  nerve  and 
muscle  that  have  stood  well  the  wear  and 
tear  of  existence.  My  brain  was  not  dwarfed 
by  excessive  study  in  early  boyhood,  as  is 
too  much  the  case  with  children  of  to-day. 
Nature  says,  as  plainly  as  she  can  speak,  that 
the  infancy  of  all  creatures  is  sacred  to  play, 
to  physical  action,  and  the  joyousness  of  mind 
that  give  life  to  every  organ  of  the  system. 
Lambs,  kittens,  kids,  foals,  even  young  pigs 
and  donkeys,  all  teach  the  great  lesson  ot 
Nature,  that  to  have  a  body  healthy  and 
strong,  the  prompt  and  efficient  vehicle  of  the 
mind,  we  must  not  infringe  on  her  ordinations 
by  our  study  and  cramping  sedentariness  in 
life's  tender  years.  "We  must  not  throw  away 
or  misappropriate  her  forces  destined  to  the 
corporeal  architecture  of  man,  by  tasks  that 
belong  properly  to  an  after-time.  There  is  no 
mistake  so  fatal  to  the  proper  development  of 
man  and  woman  as  to  pile  on  the  immature 
brain,  and  on  the  yet  unfinished  fabric  of  the 


William  Howitt.  225 

human  body,  a  weight  of  premature,  and, 
therefore,  unnatural  study.  In  most  of  those 
cases  where  Nature  has  intended  to  produce 
a  first-class  intellect,  she  has  guarded  her  em- 
bryo genius  by  a  stubborn  slowness  of  devel- 
opment. Moderate  study  and  plenty  of  play 
and  exercise  in  early  youth  are  the  true  re- 
quisites for  a  noble  growth  of  intellectual 
powers  in  man,  and  for  its  continuance  to 
old  age. 

My  youth,  as  my  boyhood,  was  spent  in 
the  country,  and  in  the  active  exercise  of  its 
sports  and  labors.  I  was  fond  of  shooting, 
fishing,  riding,  and  walking,  often  making  long 
expeditions  on  foot  for  botanical  or  other  pur- 
poses. Bathing  and  swimming  I  continued 
each  year  till  the  frost  was  in  the  ground  and 
the  ice  fringed  the  banks  of  the  river.  As 
my  father  farmed  his  own  land,  I  delighted 
in  all  the  occupations  of  the  field,  mowing 
and  reaping  with  the  men  through  the  har- 
vest, looking  after  sheep  and  lambs,  and  find- 
ing never-ceasing  pleasure  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  garden. 

When  our  literary  engagements  drew  us 
to   London,  we  carefully  avoided  living  in  the 


226     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

great  Babel,  but  took  up  our  residence  in 
one  of  its  healthy  suburbs,  and,  on  the  in- 
troduction of  railways,  removed  to  what  was 
actual  country.  A  very  little  time  showed  us 
the  exhausting  and  unwholesome  nature  of 
city  life.  Late  hours,  heavy  dinners,  the  in- 
dulgence of  what  are  called  jovial  hours,  and 
crowded  parties,  would  soon  have  sent  us 
whither  they  have  sent  so  many  of  our  liter- 
ary contemporaries,  long,  long  ago.  After  an 
evening  spent  in  one  of  the  crowded  parties 
of  London,  I  have  always  found  myself  liter- 
erally  poisoned.  My  whole  nervous  system 
has  been  distressed  and  vitiated.  I  have  been 
miserable  and  incapable  the  next  day  of  in- 
tellectual labor.  Nor  is  there  any  mystery 
about  this  matter.  To  pass  some  four  or  five 
hours  in  a  town,  itself  badly  ventilated,  amid 
a  throng  of  people,  just  come  from  dinner, 
loaded  with  a  medley  of  viands,  and  reeking 
with  the  fumes  of  hot  wines — no  few  of  them, 
probably,  of  very  moral  habits — was  simply 
undergoing  a  process  of  asphyxia.  The  air 
was  speedily  decomposed  by  so  many  lungs. 
Its  ozone  and  oxygen  were  rapidly  absorbed, 
and    in    return    the    atmosphere    was    loaded 


William  Bowitt.  227 

with  carbonic  acid,  carbon,  nitrogen,  and  other 
effluvia,  from  the  lungs  and  pores  of  the 
dense  and  heated  company;  this  mischievous 
matter  being  much  increased  from  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  combustion  of  numerous  lamps, 
candles,   and   gas-jets. 

The  same  effect  was  uniformly  produced 
on  me  by  evenings  passed  in  theaters,  or 
crowded  concert  or  lecture-rooms.  These  facts 
are  now  well  understood  by  those  who  have 
studied  the  causes  of  health  and  disease  in  mod- 
ern society;  and  I  am  assured  by  medical 
men  that  no  source  of  consumption  is  so 
great  as  that  occasioned  by  the  breathing  of 
these  lethal  atmospheres  of  fashionable  parties, 
fashionable  theaters,  and  concert  and  lecture 
halls;  and  then  returning  home  at  midnight 
by  an  abrupt  plunge  from  their  heat  into  damp 
and  cold.  People  have  said  to  me,  "  Oh,  it  is 
merely  the  effect  of  the  unusual  late  hour  that 
you  have  felt!"  But,  though  late  hours, 
either  in  writing  or  society,  have  not  been 
my  habit,  when  circumstances  of  literary  pres- 
sure have  compelled  me  occasionally  to  work 
late,  I  have  never  felt  any  such  effects.  I 
could    rise    the    next   day   a   little   later,    per- 


228     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

feetly     refreshed    and    full    of    spirit    for    my 
work. 

Another  cause  to  which  I  attribute  my 
extraordinary  degree  of  health  has  been,  not 
merely  continued  country  exercise  in  walking 
and  gardening,  but,  now  and  then,  making  a 
clean  breach  and  change  of  my  location  and 
mode  of  life.  Travel  is  one  of  the  great  in- 
vigorators  of  the  system,  both  physically  and 
intellectually.  When  I  have  found  a  morbid 
condition  stealing  over  me,  I  have  at  once 
started  off  on  a  pedestrian  or  other  journey. 
The  change  of  place,  scene,  atmosphere,  of  all 
the  objects  occupying  the  daily  attention,  has 
at  once  put  to  flight  the  enemy.  It  has 
vanished  as  by  a  spell.  There  is  nothing  like 
a  throwing  off  the  harness  and  giving  mind 
and  body  a  holiday — a  treat  to  all  sorts  of 
new  objects.  Once,  a  wretched,  nervous  feel- 
ing grew  upon  me ;  I  flung  it  off  by  mounting 
a  stage-coach,  and  then  taking  a  walk  from 
the  Land's  End,  in  Cornwall,  to  the  north 
of  Devon.  It  was  gone  forever !  Another 
time,  the  "  jolly  "  late  dinners  and  blithely-cir- 
culating decanter,  with  literary  men  that  I  found 
it  almost  impossible  to  avoid  altogether  without 


William  Howitt.  229 

cutting  my  valuable  connections,  gave  me  a 
dreadful  dyspepsia.  I  became  livingly  sensi- 
ble of  the  agonies  of  Prometheus  with  the 
daily  vultures  gnawing  at  his  vitals.  At  once 
I  started  with  all  my  family  for  a  year's  so- 
journ in  Germany,  which,  in  fact,  proved  three 
years.  But  the  fiend  had  left  me  the  very 
first  day.  The  moment  I  quitted  the  British 
shore,  the  tormentor  quitted  me.  I  suppose  he 
preferred  staying  behind,  where  he  was  aware 
of  so  many  promising  subjects  of  his  diabolical 
art.  New  diet,  new  and  early  hours,  and  all 
the  novelties  of  foreign  life,  made  his  approach 
to  me  impossible.  I  have  known  him  no 
more,  during  these  now  thirty  years. 

Eighteen  years  ago  I  made  the  circumnavi- 
gation of  the  globe,  going  out  to  Australia 
by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  returning 
by  Cape  Horn.  This,  including  two  years 
of  wandering  in  the  woods  and  wilds  of 
Australia,  evidently  gave  a  new  accession  ot 
vital  stamina  to  my  frame.  It  is  said  that 
the  climate  of  Australia  makes  young  men 
old,  and  old  men  young.  I  do  not  believe 
the  first  part  of  the  proverb,  but  I  am  quite 
certain  that  there  is   a   great  deal   in  the  sec- 


230     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

ond  part  of  it.  During  those  two  years  I 
chiefly  lived  in  a  tent,  and  led  a  quiet,  free, 
and  pleasant  life  in  the  open  forests  and 
wild  country,  continually  shifting  our  scene 
as  we  took  the  fancy,  now  encamping  in 
some  valley  among  the  mountains,  now  by 
some  pleasant  lake  or  river.  In  fact,  pic- 
nicing  from  day  to  day,  and  month  to  month, 
watching,  I  and  my  two  sons,  with  every 
new  interest,  all  the  varied  life  of  beasts, 
birds,  and  insects,  and  the  equally  varied 
world  of  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers.  My 
mind  was  lying  fallow,  as  it  regarded  my 
usual  literary  pursuits,  but  actually  engaged 
with  a  thousand  things  of  novel  interest, 
both  among  men  in  the  Gold  Diggings,  and 
among  other  creatures  and  phenomena  around 
me.  In  this  climate  I  and  my  little  party 
enjoyed,  on  the  whole,  excellent  health, 
though  we  often  walked  or  worked  for  days 
and  weeks  under  a  sun  frequently,  at  noon, 
reaching;  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  degrees  of  Fahrenheit ;  waded  through 
rivers  breast  high,  because  there  were  no 
bridges,  and  slept  occasionally  under  the  for- 
est  trees.     There,    at    nearly    sixty    years  of 


William  Howitt.  231 

age,  I  dug  for  gold  for  weeks  together,  and 
my  little  company  discovered  a  fine  gold 
field,  which  continues  one  to  this  day.  These 
two  years  of  bush  life,  with  other  journeys 
on  the  Australian  Continent,  and  in  Tasma- 
nia, and  the  voyages  out  and  back,  gave  a 
world  of  new  vigor  that  has  been  serving 
me  ever  since.  During  the  last  summer  in 
Switzerland,  Mrs.  Howitt  and  myself,  at  the 
respective  ages  of  sixty-eight  and  seventy-six, 
climbed  mountains  of  from  three  to  five 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  descended  the  same  day  with  more  ease 
than  many  a  young  person  of  the  modern 
school   could  do. 

As  to  our  daily  mode  of  life  little  need 
be  said.  We  keep  early  hours,  prefer  to  dine 
at  noon,  are  always  employed  in  "  books,  or 
work,  or  healthful  play ;"  have  no  particular 
rules  about  eating  and  drinking,  except  the 
general  ones  of  having  simple  and  good  food, 
and  drinking  little  wine.  We  have  always 
been  Temperance  people,  but  never  pledged, 
being  averse  to  thraldom  of  any  kind,  taking, 
both  in  food  and  drink,  what  seemed  to  do 
us  good.     At  home,  we  drink,    for    the    most 


232     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

part,  water,  with  a  glass  of  wine  occasionally. 
On  the  Continent,  we  take  the  light  wines 
of  the  country  where  we  happen  to  be,  with 
water,  because  they  suit  us;  if  they  did  not, 
we  should  eschew  them.  In  fact,  our  great 
rule  is  to  use  what  proves  salutary,  without 
regard  to  any  theories,  conceits,  or  specula- 
tions of  hygienic  economy ;  and,  in  our  case, 
this  following  of  common  sense  has  answered 
extremely   well. 

At  the  same  time,  it  is  true  that  many 
eminent  men,  and  especially  eminent  lawyers, 
who,  in  their  early  days,  worked  immensely 
hard,  studied  through  many  long  nights,  and 
caroused,  some  of  them,  deeply  through  oth- 
ers, yet  attained  to  a  good  old  age,  as 
Lords  Eldon,  Scott,  Brougham,  Campbell, 
Lyndhurst,  and  others.  To  what  are  we  to 
attribute  this  longevity  under  the  circum- 
stances? No  doubt  to  iron  constitutions  de- 
rived from  their  parentage,  and  then  to  the 
recuperative  effect  of  those  half-yearly  flights 
into  the  Egypt  of  the  country,  which  make 
an  essential  part  of  English  life.  To  a  thor- 
ough change  of  hours,  habits,  and  atmosphere 
in   these   seasons    of    villeggiatura.     To   vigor- 


William  HowitL  233 

ou9  atheletic  country  sports  and  practices, 
hunting,  shooting,  fishing,  riding,  boating, 
yachting,  traversing  moors  and  mountains 
after  black-cock,  grouse,  salmon,  trout,  and 
deer.  To  long  walks  at  sea-side  resorts,  and 
to  that  love  of  continental  travel  so  strong 
in  both  your  countrymen  and  women,  and  ours. 
These  are  the  saving  causes  in  the  lives 
of  such  men.  Who  knows  how  long  they 
would  have  lived  had  they  not  inflicted  on 
themselves,  more  or  less,  the  destroying  ones. 
There  is  an  old  story  among  us  of  two  very 
old  men  being  brought  up  on  a  trial  where 
the  evidence  of  the  "  oldest  inhabitant"  was 
required.  The  Judge  asked  the  first  who 
came  up  what  had  been  the  habits  of  his 
life.  Ho  replied,  "  Very  regular,  my  lord ; 
I  have  always  been  sober,  and  kept  good 
hours."  Upon  which  the  Judge  dilated  in 
high  terras  of  praise  on  the  benefit  of  regular 
life.  When  the  second  old  man  appeared,  the 
Judge  put  the  same  question,  and  received  the 
answer,  "  Very  regular,  my  lord  ;  I  have  never 
gone  to  bed  sober  these  forty  years.  "  Where- 
upon his  lordship  exclaimed,   "  Ha !  I  see  how 


234     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

it  is.  English  men,  like  English  oak,  wet  or 
dry,  last  for  ever." 

I  am  not  of  his  lordship's  opinion ;  but 
seeing  the  great  longevity  of  many  of  our 
most  eminent  lawyers,  and  some  of  whom  in 
early  life  seemed  disposed  to  live  fast  rather 
than  long,  I  am  more  than  ever  confirmed  in 
my  opinion  of  the  vitalizing  influences  of  tem- 
perance, good  air,  and  daily  activity,  which, 
with  the  benefits  of  change  and  travel,  can  so 
far  in  after  life  save  those  whom  no  original 
force  of  constitution  could  have  saved  from 
the  effects  of  jollity,  or  of  gigantic  efforts  of 
study  in  early  life.  For  one  of  such  hard 
livers,  or  hard  brain-workers  who  have  escaped 
by  the  periodical  resort  to  healthful  usage, 
how  many  thousands  have  been  "  cut  off  in 
the   midst   of  their    days  ? " 

A  lady  once  meeting  me  in  Highgate, 
where  I  then  lived,  asked  me  if  I  could 
recommend  to  her  a  good  doctor.  I  told  her 
that  I  could  recommend  her  three  doctors.  She 
observed  that  one  would  be  enough;  but  I 
assured  her  that  she  would  find  these  three 
more   economical   and   efficient  than  any  indi- 


William  Howitt.  235 

vidual  Galen  that  I  could  think  of.  Their 
names  were,  "Temperance,  Early  Hours,  and 
Daily  Exercise."  That  they  were  the  only 
ones  that  I  had  employed  for  years,  or  meant 
to  employ.  Soon  after,  a  gentleman  wrote  to 
me  respecting  these  "  Three  Doctors, "  and 
put  them  in  print.  Anon,  they  were  made 
the  subject  of  one  of  the  "  Ipswich  Tracts ;"  and 
on  a  visit,  a  few  years  ago,  to  the  Continent,  I 
found  this  tract  translated  into  French,  and 
the  title-page  enriched  with  the  name  of  a 
French  physician  as  the  author.  So  much 
the  better.  If  the  name  of  the  French  physi- 
cian can  recommend  "  The  Three  Doctors " 
to  the  population  of  France,  I  am  so  much 
the  more  obliged. 

I  remain,  dear  sir,  with    sincere  wishes  for 
the  prosperity  of  your  journal,  and  the  spread 
of  the  true  principles   of  health  and  long  life, 
Yours,  faithfully, 

William  Howitt. 

Rome,  41  Via  di  Porta  Pinciana,  ) 
May  20,  1871.  J 


236     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

XX. 

THE  LATE  REV.   JOHN  TODD. 

My  Dear  Sir:  You  ask  me  to  describe, 
briefly,  my  Workshop,  and  its  value  in  pro- 
moting health  of  the  brain  and  nerves,  for  sed- 
entary workers.  I  do  this  the  more  readily 
because  I  have  received  so  many  similar  re- 
quests from  different  quarters  that  I  am  sat- 
isfied they  originate  from  something  better 
than  curiosity. 

You  must  know,  then,  that  when,  some 
forty-five  years  ago,  I  married  the  fairest  and 
best  woman  on  this  continent,  and  went  to 
housekeeping,  we  were  very  poor.  I  soon 
found  a  thousand  little  things  to  be  done  or 
conveniences  needed  about  our  new  home ; 
this  led  me  to  buy  a  hammer,  and  a  gimlet, 
and  a  few  nails;  then  I  needed  a  saw,  and  a 
square,  and  a  plane.  About  the  first  feat  I 
accomplished  was  to  make  and  paint  and  hang 
the  outside  blinds  for  every  window  in  our 
house.  This  was  a  great  achievement  for  a 
novice,  and,  if  the  blinds  were  not  the  most 
elegant,  they  made  up  in  strength  what  they 
lacked  in  beauty.     They  remain  on  the  house 


Rev.  John  Todd.  237 

to  this  day.  Then  we  needed  pins  on  which 
to  hang  our  clothes,  my  harness,  bridle,  etc., 
and  this  led  to  my  getting  a  clumsy  wooden 
lathe,  every  part  of  which  but  the  two  cen- 
ters made  of  wood.  I  added  power  to  the 
wheel  by  boring  holes  in  the  outside  of  the 
driving-wheel  and  pouring  in  melted  lead. 
The  whole  concern  cost  me  but  seven  dol- 
lars. Now  some  foot-lathes  cost  as  many 
thousands.  My  wife  encouraged  me  by  giv- 
ing me  a  little  chamber  for  my  shop.  And 
few  men  ever  accomplished  much  that  is  good 
without   the    encouragement   of  their  wives. 

I  have  made  it  a  rule  never  to  buy  a  tool 
till  I  actually  needed  it,  nor  until  I  could 
use  it,  and  then  never  to  buy  a  poor  tool 
if  I  could  help  it.  Another  rule  has  been 
to  preserve,  carefully,    every   tool   I   procured. 

Now,  then,  let  us  go  into  my  shop.  It  is 
a  chamber  just  back  of  my  study — my  men- 
tal workshop.  It  is  a  room  sixteen  feet  square, 
with  two  north  windows.  (It  is  always 
desirable,  if  possible,  to  have  a  northern 
light  for  the  shop.)  As  you  enter  the 
door  you  see  every  side  of  the  room  is  cov- 
ered  with   tools,  each  tool  hung  in  place,  and 


238     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

the  nicer,  more  valuable  ones  in  large  glass 
cases.  The  room  contains  over  1200  tools, 
upon  any  one  of  which  I  can  lay  my  hand 
in  the  dark,  and  any  one  of  which  my  eye 
would  miss  in  a  moment  were  it  out  of  its 
place.  Why  so  many?  Because  I  have  three 
lathes,  and  the  tools  that  accompany  them, 
besides  chisels,  planes,  drills,  glues,  pol- 
ishing liquids,  and  a  multitude  of  things  and 
tools,  which  none  but  an  old  workman  could 
comprehend.  On  one  side  of  the  room  you 
see  the  name  of  "  Woolsey,"  another,  "  As- 
pinwall,"  "  Bigelow,"  "Hoadley,"  and  the  like. 
The  English  of  it  is,  that  all  the  tools  on 
that  side  of  the  room  were  given  me  by  Mr. 
Woolsey  of  Astoria,  Mr.  Aspinwall  of  Bar- 
rytown-on-Hudson,  Mr.  Bigelow  of  New  Ha- 
ven, or  Mr.  Hoadley  of  Lawrence.  That 
beautiful  little  steam  engine  and  its  complete 
boiler  came  from  the  latter  gentleman.  The 
fact  is,  that  my  friends,  seeing  me  using  and 
taking  care  of  my  tools,  have  sent  me  many 
most  beautiful  specimens  of  the  skill  of  Paris 
and  London.  My  entire  stock  of  tools  could 
not  be  bought  for  a  thousand  dollars.  But 
you   must   recollect   how   long  I  have  been  in 


Rev,  John  Todd.  239 

gathering  them  and  what  kind  friends  have 
aided  me.  That  overhead  apparatus  to  my 
lathes  gives  me  speed  and  nicety  of  work, 
so  that  I  can  alter  the  position  of  a  box  an 
inch  in  diameter  three  hundred  and  sixty 
times,  and  alter  my  tool  the  four-hundredth 
part  of  an  inch,  and  at  a  speed  of  five  thou- 
sand a  minute.  For  nice  work,  you  need  the 
mandrel  true,  the  motion  still  and  very  quick, 
and  such  tools  or  appliances  as  the  eccentric 
chuck,  universal  cutter,  eccentric  cutter,  ellip- 
tical cutter,  ornamental  drills,  rose  engine, 
not  forgetting  the  compound  slide-rest,  etc., 
etc.  With  the  proper  tools,  you  can  make 
very  beautiful  work — but,  while  others  admire 
it,  you  will  never  see  any  that,  to  your  eye, 
is  not  imperfect.  You  want,  also,  the  fret 
saw  and  the  circular  saw  attachment,  though 
the  latter  is  best  to  be  run  as  a  machine 
by  itself  with  an  angular  adjustment,  so  that 
you  can  saw  any  angle.  This  is  fine  for  mak- 
ing  picture   frames. 

As  to  materials  for  the  lathe,  I  could 
write  a  chapter  on  woods  and  materials. 
Ivory  is  the  most  beautiful  material.  Wild 
boars'   tusks   for  very  small   work,   the   black- 


240     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

thorn  among  the  woods — a  native  of  Africa — 
is  the  most  preferred.  Boxwood  the  most 
common.  As  to  glues  and  varnishes,  they,  too, 
need   a   chapter. 

Now  for  the  advantages  of  a  workshop  for 
the   sedentary  man. 

1.  It  enables  him  to  have  a  thousand  lit- 
tle conveniences  about  him  which  he  can 
never  otherwise  have.  He  can  mend  a  lock, 
cover  and  recover  a  trunk,  fix  his  disordered 
clock,  mend  tin,  and  almost  anything  except 
to  put  a  bottom  in  a  frying-pan,  which  I 
have  been   asked   to   do. 

2.  It  creates  and  develops  mathematical 
taste  and  skill.  I  don't  think  I  had,  by 
nature,  any  mechanical  skill;  but  now,  my 
friends  think  I  might  have  made  a  good 
tinker,  and  my  appreciation  of  what  is  nicely 
executed   is   greatly  enhanced. 

3.  The  workshop  is  a  wonderful  promoter 
of  health.  Once  having  it,  you  will  ever 
have  some  little  job  on  hand.  When  you 
are  weary  at  your  writing-table,  when  the 
brain  reels  or  muddles,  when  the  thoughts 
stagnate,  jump  up  and  run  into  your  shop, 
and   there,  on  your    feet,   in   a    different   air, 


Rev.  John  Todd.  241 

your  mind  turns  at  once  to  the  thing  in  hand. 
You  leave  the  chain  of  thought  which  you 
were  trying  to  carry  on,  you  at  once  are  ab- 
sorbed in  a  new  train  of  thinking,  and  your 
mind  is  refreshed  and  invigorated.  You  are 
compelled  to  give  all  your  attention  to  the 
thing  in  hand.  Sometimes  it  will  be  solder- 
ing, or  brazing,  or  tempering  a  tool,  or  pol- 
ishing a  bosom-pin,  or  contriving  how  to  use 
a  tool  in  a  new  way.  My  lathes  are  all 
very  unlike  in  form  and  size,  and  yet  there 
is  not  a  tool  among  them  which  I  have  not 
contrived  to  use  on  any  one  of  them.  This 
change  of  the  position  of  the  body,  and  this 
turning  the  mind  into  a  channel  so  unlike 
that  of  the  study,  so  results  that  in  half  an  hour, 
or  even  fifteen  minutes,  the  mind  is  wonder- 
fully refreshed,  and  you  go  back  to  your 
books  quite  a  new  man.  I  consider  my  work- 
shop an  invaluable  aid  to  health.  I  make 
everything — beehives,  trunks,  delicate  ivory 
boxes,  with  the  lid  screwed  on  forty  threads 
to  the  inch,  bosom-pins,  and  almost  any 
nick-nack.  But  I  make  no  boast  of  great 
skill ;  compared  with  Mr.  Aspinwall,  I  am  a 
coarse  bungler. 


24:2     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

Now  for  a  few  hints  to  young,  profes- 
sional  men. 

1.  Begin  and  move  slowly.  Buy  a  very 
few  tools  at  first.  Learn  to  use,  skillfully, 
before  you   buy   more,   those   on  hand. 

2.  Never  buy   a  poor  tool,  however  cheap. 

3.  If  you  get  a  foot-lathe,  get  a  good  one; 
the  u  swing "  should  not  be  less  than  five 
inches — six  is  better.  The  lathe  is  the  cen- 
ter of  the  shop,  and  that  will  eventually  call 
around  you  all  the  tools  you  can  want  or  use; 
Let  it   not   call  too  fast. 

4.  Let  your  room  be  as  dry  as  possible; 
keep  your  tools  bright  and  the  handles  good, 
if  not  beautiful ;  use  the  best  of  olive  oil,  very 
little  at  a  time,  but  quite   often. 

5.  Keep  your  tools  sharp  ;  the  great  com- 
fort of  your  shop  will  depend  on  your  doing 
that;  the  lathe  abhors  a  dull  tool,  and  the 
nicer  the  tool,  the  more  need  of  care  on  this 
point.     » 

6.  Buy  the    Ceylon   ivory,  if  possible,  and 

the   best   ornamental   woods   in    our   large  cit- 
es 

ies.     You   can   find   them   nowhere   else. 

7.  Don't  expect  you  can  become  an  ex- 
pert  in  a  day.     You  will  need   patience   and 


Rev.  John  Todd.  243 

perseverance,   and   they    will  bring   you   great 
rewards. 

8.  What  I  have  said  seems  to  imply  the 
lathe  or  nothing.  I  do  not  mean  this.  You 
may  have  a  valuable  shop  and  save  hundreds 
of  dollars  and  fill  your  house  "  with  all 
pleasant  things,"  and  never  have  a  lathe. 
I  made  book-cases,  the  very  same  I  use  now 
for  myself  and  children,  before  I  knew  how 
to  use  the  lathe.  Indeed,  the  lathe  is  only 
the  culmination  of  the  good  things  you  want, 
and  I  have  dwelt  upon  it  because  I  was  de- 
scribing my  shop  just  as  it  now  is.  But 
hundreds  of  men  have  a  very  valuable  shop 
and  tools  who  have  no  lathe  and  no  desire 
for  one.  This  to  me  is  unaccountable.  Don't 
wait  for  any  one  thing  before  you  begin. 
Tools   make   you   independent. 

9.  Keep  your  shop  locked,  so  that  no  one 
can  handle  your  tools  but  yourself.  This  is 
very  essential  to  your  comfort.  Others  will  be 
sure  to  break  or  dull  your  tools,  and  annoy 
you   beyond   measure. 

10.  If  you  have  a  lathe,  learn  to  grind 
your   own    tools   on   your  lathe ;  finish   at  the 


24:4:     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

oil-stone,    and  the  nicer  tools  on   leather,  cov- 
ered   with   crocus,   i.  e.,   rouge. 

11.  Learn  to  temper  your  own  tools, 
which  you  can  soon  do.  You  can  hardly 
buy  them  tempered  aright — usually  they  are 
too  soft. 

12.  Keep  your  shop  clean  and  neat,  so 
that  you  rather  feel  proud  to  have  your 
friends   visit  it. 

Yours   very   truly, 

John  Todd. 

XXI. 

THE  LATE  REV.  CHARLES  CLEVELAND. 

My  Dear  Sir  :  I,  with  much  pleasure,  re- 
ply to  your  request  that  I  give  you  some  ac- 
count of  my  habits  of  life.  Should  I  live  to  the 
21st  of  June,  I  shall  have  passed  ninety-nine 
years  on  earth.  My  habits  have,  under  kind 
Providence,  been  uniformly  on  the  scale  of 
temperance.  Intoxicating  drinks  and  the  use 
of  tobacco  have  been  denied.  My  diet  hath 
been  simple,  avoiding  whatever  bordered  on 
luxury.  You  ask  at  what  age  I  could  ac- 
complish   the    most    work  ?     I     never,     from 


Rev.  Charles  Cleveland.  245 

youth,  ate  idle  bread ;  always  found  that  the 
physical  powers  were  benefited  by  constant 
regard  to  useful  labor,  in  one  direction  or  an- 
other, and  in  keeping  the  mind  free  from  anx- 
iety. When  employed  at  the  desk,  I  have  felt 
the  importance  of  taking  time  for  exercise 
of  the  limbs,  in  walking,  as  often  as  my 
duties  at  the  desk  would  permit.  The  short- 
est days  of  the  year  I  am  up  at  7,  the 
longest  days  at  4.  I  can  not  remember  the 
time,  from  youth,  when  it  was  my  pleasure 
to  lay  in  bed  after  the  sun  was  up.  Again, 
as  a  matter  essential  to  my  health  of  body 
and  soul,  I  have  many  years  avoided  party 
festivities,  convinced  that  multitudes  of  per- 
sons' lives  are  sacrificed  from  keeping  late 
hours,  seeking  a  happiness  they  can  never 
find  while  in  pursuit  of  worldly  pleasures, 
to  the  utter  neglect  of  the  living  oracles, 
teaching  us  to  place  our  "  affections  on  things 
above."  Again,  although  daily  feeling  my 
deficiencies  in  the  performance  of  duties,  I 
am  happy  in  the  assurance  that  my  heavenly 
Father,  who  knoweth  my  infirmities,  remem- 
bering  I    am    dust,    will    accept    me,    and   at 


246     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

the  end  of  my  pilgrimage  take  me  to  Him- 
self, through  the  mediation  of  his  beloved 
Son,  to  whom  then  I  shall  be  alike  pure, 
and  see  Him  as  He  is,  never  more  to  part. 
I  have  found  it  a  very  important  object 
to  keep  the  body  open,  never  allowing  mat- 
ters of  business  to  interfere  with  this  essen- 
tial  regard   to    the   preservation    of  health. 

1.  My  time  of  retirement  is  at  an  early 
hour,  not  beyond  10  o'clock;  and  of  rising, 
as  soon  as  awake,  and  before  the  sun, 
throughout   the   year. 

2.  At  meals  my  food  is  simple  and  nour- 
ishing, avoiding  whatever  may  be  regarded  as 
luxuries. 

3.  My  drink  at  the  table  is  "Adam's 
Ale." 

4.  I  taste    no    spirituous  liquors. 

5.  Tobacco  I  abhor  in  all  its  forms  as  I 
would  poison,  persuaded  its  use  hath  been  as 
an  harbinger  to  "  strong  drink,"  which  has  slain 
its  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands. 

Thus,  dear  philanthropist,  I  have  given  you 
my  "  habits  of  living,"  and  would  just  add 
that,  preserving   a  conscience    void    of  offense 


W.  A.,  M.I).  247 

toward  God  and  man,    my    sleep  in  its  season 
is  undisturbed  and  refreshing. 

I  am,  respectfully,  yours, 

Charles  Cleveland. 
(Bora  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  June  21,  1772.) 
Boston,  June  1,  1871. 


XXII. 

W.  A.,  M.D. 

Sir:  After  an  experience  and  observation 
of  life  extending  over  73  years,  I  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  state  of  mind  in 
which  we  allow  ourselves  habitually  to  remain 
determines  very  largely,  for  good  or  for  evil, 
our  mental  health.  There  are  two  states  which 
I  will  mention  as  favoring  a  healthy  nervous 
system,  or  the  reverse.  The  one  is  what  I 
call  a  positive  state,  in  which  the  mind  resists 
and  throws  off  unfavorable  mental  impres- 
sions, so  that  they  do  not  gain  a  foothold  in 
the  brain.  The  other  is  the  negative  state, 
that  does  not  throw  off  bad  mental  states, 
but  harbors  them  until  they  occupy  the  en- 
tire thought,  to  the  exclusion  of  everything 
else.     Such   people   have   the   blues,  are  easily 


24:8     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

discouraged,  become  despondent  and  low  spirit- 
ed, imagine  the  worst  is  to  happen,  find  fault 
with  their  best  friends,  and  are  the  most  mis- 
erable creatures  on  earth.  To  them,  their 
troubles  are  real,  not  imaginary.  It  is  of  no 
use  to  tell  them  the  world  is  not  going 
wrong;  there  is  no  room  in  their  brains  for 
such  a  thought.  Such  patients  cannot  be  cured 
by  medical  treatment  of  the  ordinary  kind. 
They  can,  however,  easily  cure  themselves  by 
working  out  of  the  negative  state,  which  leaves 
them  the  prey  to  their  fancies,  into  the  pos- 
itive state,  that  actually  compels  these  fancies 
to  flee  away  and  leave  the  brain  in  a  condi- 
tion to  produce  agreeable  sensations.  Let  such 
persons  every  morning,  when  they  get  out  of 
bed,  assert  in  the  most  positive  manner  that 
they  will  not  once  during  the  day  harbor  a  dis- 
agreeable thought,  but  the  very  instant  it  arises 
they  will  drive  it  from  the  mind,  as  they 
would  a  viper  from  their  beds,  and  be  very 
sure  it  will  go.  Understand  me.  Every 
species  of  uncomfortable  mental  sensation  must 
be  driven  out,  no  matter  what  it  is.  If  the 
effort  is  strong  enough,  even  bodily  pain  can 
be  driven   out  too.      I  know  what  I  say  from 


W.  A.,  M.D.  249 

my  own  experience.  No  amount  of  bathing, 
dieting,  or  drugging  will  cure  the  man  or 
woman  who  continues  in  the  negative  frame 
of  mind.  When  the  positive  condition  has 
been  attained  permanently,  under  no  circum- 
stances fall  back  again. 

Well  do  I  remember  the  day  and  the  hour 
when  I  made  this,  to  me,  great  discovery.  I 
had  suffered  for  a  month  the  most  intense 
mental  pain  because  my  business  did  not  go 
to  please  me.  I  found  fault  with  my  wife  and 
children,  and  nothing  suited  me.  Things  were 
getting  most  uncomfortable  for  all  of  us.  I 
got  up  one  morning  as  usual  and  expected  to 
have  a  bad  day,  when  all  at  once  an  impulse 
seized  me  as  if  it  had  come  from  the  other 
world,  and,  straightening  myself  up  to  full 
height,  I  said  to  myself  emphatically,  "  By 
the  Eternal,  these  miserable  feelings  have  got 
to  go;  not  once  to-day  will  I  tolerate  one 
of  them  in  my  mind  for  an  instant."  I  kept 
my  word,  and  have  done  so  till  now,  and 
find  it  is  easy  enough  to  hold  them  at  bay. 
Indeed  my  mental  condition  now  is  a  positive 
one,   and  not   easily    am    I    thrown    into    that 


250      Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

state   which    for   many    years    made   life   more 
or  less  miserable. 

I  may  add  that  this  principle  is  applicable 
to  a  large  number  of  mental  processes.  The 
man  in  the  positive  instead  of  the  negative 
condition  will  have  untold  advantage  in  what- 
ever he  undertakes.  I  may  also  say  that 
many  persons  will  find  much  aid  in  this  mat- 
ter through  music,  if  they  are  musicians, 
through  humorous  stories,  through  occupation, 
and  by  reading  from  books  of  the  highest 
order  of  moral  and  religious  writers,  such  as 
inspire  faith,  hope  and  courage.  Of  course  the 
laws  of  health  must  be  observed. 

W.  A.,  M.D. 

XXIII. 

SARAH  J.  HALE. 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  not  been  in  my  usual 
health  for  some  days,  and  am  not  now  able  to 
give  you  the  information  you  desire.  I  am 
sorry  to  disappoint  you,  but  having  entered 
my  ninetieth  year  my  age  must  be  my  ex- 
cuse for  inability  to  comply  with  your  re- 
quest. 


S.  J.  Hale — H  and  M.  Mann.       251 

I  enclose  my  " Farewell"  to  the  readers 
of  the  Lady's  Book,  which  will  show  you 
what  I  have  attempted  to  do  in  my  fifty  years 
of  literary  life.  During  those  fifty  years  my 
health  has  been  so  good  that  I  have  but 
once  failed  in  preparing  the  "Editor's  Table" 
at  the  appointed  time.  I  attribute  this  con- 
tinued health  in  part  to  a  naturally  eound 
constitution,  and  very  much  to  regular  and 
temperate  habits  of  life,  early  rising,  and  my 
invariable  rule  of  doing  all  literary  work  by 
daylight,    especially  in  the  morning. 

With  sincere  wishes  for  your  success  in 
the  work  you  have  undertaken, 

I  am  very  truly  yours, 

Sarah  J.  Hale. 


1413  Locust  St.,  Phil'a, 
Nov.  19,  1877. 


XXIY. 

HORACE  AND  MART  MANN. 

My  Dear  Sir  :  In  regard  to  my  husband 
and  myself,  both  of  highly  nervous  and  sanguine 
temperaments  combined — perfect  steam-engines 
in   energy — it   is   my    conviction,    after    living 


252     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

seventy  years,  that  what  has  been  most  ben- 
eficial to  us  has  been  good  diet  and  rest — 
the  latter  even  more  than  the  former.  With 
all  his  wisdom,  however,  my  husband  did  not 
know  how  to  spare  himself,  and  died,  as  I 
think,  prematurely,  of  fatigue.  He  undertook 
what  no  man  could  accomplish  with  impunity, 
and  gave  himself  no  rests.  Mr.  Combe  warned 
him  twenty  years  before,  but  it  did  not  avail. 
He  wTanted  him  to  live  and  watch  over  the 
growth  of  his  work,  and  not  to  die  prema- 
turely. I  have  heeded  the  warning,  and,  al- 
though I  have  been  a  great  sufferer  for  the 
last  two  years,  I  have  rallied  and  am  im- 
proving enough  to  enjoy  life  again,  a  pleasure 
I   had  utterly   lost. 

My  family  relations  have  been  all  I 
could  wish,  and  therefore  I  have  been  happy 
and  have  lived  down  other  trials.  A  good 
biologist  once  said  to  my  husband,  "  You  are 
mistaken  in  thinking  you  need  so  much  ex- 
ercise: what  you  need  is  sleep."  He  turned 
to  me  and  said :  "  Mrs.  Mann,  do  all  you  can 
to  procure  him  sleep — at  all  times,  short  sleeps 
and   long  sleeps — but  sleep."     I  think  he  sub- 


Horace  and  Mary  Mann.  253 

mitted  to  what  lie  considered  the  loss  of  time 
much  better  after  that,  and  I  did  my  part 
faithfully.  But  in  that  last  great  extremity, 
I  was  much  occupied  with  my  children,  who 
were  all  ill,  and  had  not  so  much  time  as  I 
wanted  to  help  him — there  never  was  a  time 
since  I  had  been  married  when  I  could  do 
so  little  for  him.  If  it  had  not  been  for  that 
stress  of  care,  the  effects  of  that  Western  cli- 
mate would,  I  am  persuaded,  have  length- 
ened his  life.  It  is  a  painful  subject  to  dwell 
upon  when  one  feels  that  a  dear  friend  need 
not   to   have   died. 

My  oldest  son  had  very  much  the  same 
history — a  young  man  of  rare  promise,  but 
with  his  father's  intenseness  of  temperament, 
which  made  him  the  victim  of  science.  I 
do  not  believe  in  people  dying  for  science: 
I  believe  in  their  living  for  it,  for  it  will 
not  hurt  the  world  to  wait  a  little  while. 
Yours  with  regard, 

Mary  Mann. 
Cambridge,  Mass,    April,  1878. 


254     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 
XXV. 

JULIA   E.    SMITH. 

Dear  Sir :  As  you  wish  me  to  write 
something  about  my  health  habits,  having  lived 
to  the  age  of  nearly  ninety  years,  I  will  do 
it.  Of  late  I  have  attended  but  little  to  the 
dead  languages,  my  time  being  mostly  taken 
up  in  replying  to  letters  from  all  parts  of 
the  country,  upon  the  usage  we  have  re- 
ceived from  the  officials  of  our  native  town, 
and  also  from  correspondents  concerning  my 
literal  translation  of  the  Bible.  I  have  all  my 
life  been  in  the  habit  of  rising  early;  in 
winter  at  five  o'clock,  and  the  rest  of  the 
year  at  half-past  four,  or  as  soon  as  I  can  see.  I 
have  never  made  it  a  practice  to  study  even- 
ings, and  when  a  student  at  school  I  always 
learned  my  lessons  at  early  morn.  I  have 
exercised  much  in  the  open  air :  being  the 
fourth  sister — and  the  youngest  sister  a  good 
deal  younger  than  I — I  was  made  a  sort  of 
errand  boy  by  our  father.  Having  no  son, 
he  called  on  me  to  assist  him  in  driving  his 
cattle  to  the  east  lots,  more  than  a  mile  from 
home,  and   sent   me    to    drive    the  cows  home 


Julia  E.  Smith.  255 

and  put  them  back  in  the  morning.  I  do 
not  remember  when  I  did  not  know  how 
to  milk,  to  ride  on  horseback,  or  to  drive  a 
horse  before  a  carriage.  Our  mother,  who 
was  quite  unwell  while  we  were  children,  had 
a  room  to  herself  and  could  see  to  us  but 
very  little,  so  we  were  left  to  do  many  things 
she  knew  nothing  about.  "We  would  chase 
about  the  lots,  walk  in  the  water,  climb  trees 
and  jump  over  fences  in  the  spring  when 
school  was  out.  My  sister,  next  older  than 
myself,  once  wanted  to  find  out  the  length 
of  the  brook  in  our  pasture.  It  was  very 
crooked  and  measured  a  mile  within  a  quarter 
of  a  mile's  distance.  She  took  me  along  with 
her  early  one  morning  in  April,  and  we  took 
off  our  shoes  and  stockings  and  waded,  the 
water  being  deep  in  places,  until  we  got 
tired  and  hungry,  when  we  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  there  was  no  end  to  it,  and 
wended  our  way  back.  "When  we  arrived  home 
it  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

The  district  school  was  more  than  a  half  mile 
from  us,  and  no  matter  how  deep  the  snow, 
I  would  trudge  through  it.  My  father  was 
a  lawyer  and  almost  always  away  from  home, 


256     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

so  I  could  never  ride.  As  there  were  no 
rubber  boots  in  those  days,  I  often  sat  away 
from  the  fire  all  day  with  wet  feet.  I  have 
been  in  the  habit  ever  so  long  of  washing 
my  feet  daily  in  cold  water.  I  cannot  see 
that  it  tires  me  more  now  to  walk  than 
formerly.  I  often  walk  to  our  post  office,  one 
and  a  quarter  mile  and  back,  without  sitting 
down  until  I  get  home.  I  have  been  in  the 
habit  for  many  years  of  bathing  in  cold  water 
every  morning.  Indeed,  I  can  truly  say  that 
I  have  never  felt  the  infirmities  of  age,  not 
often  thinking  whether  I  am  old  or  young. 
I  have  thought  more  of  it  this  winter  than  I 
ever  did  before,  for  while  I  was  in  "Washing- 
ton I  was  put  in  mind  that  I  must  be  helped 
at  almost  every  step  I  took.  It  would  not 
do,  they  said,  for  so  old  a  person  to  walk  up 
stairs  and  down,  or  even  go  down  the  steps, 
without  a  kind  friend  on  each  side  for 
support.  If  these  people  could  see  me  run 
after  my  pet  calves  Taxie  and  Votie,  or,  rather, 
run  to  get  away  from  them,  since  I  got  home, 
I  think  they  would  be  convinced  that  I  could 
step  a  foot  forward  without  assistance.  We 
were   all  healthy  children.     "We  were  not  pro- 


Julia  E.  Smith.  257 

vided  with  many  pennies,  having  to  earn  our 
own  pin  money,  which  we  did  by  picking 
up  walnuts,  as  we  had  a  goodly  quantity  of 
trees  near  by,  and  the  Glastonbury  walnuts 
had  a  good  name  in  market.  We  were 
allowed  all  the  money  for  the  sale  of  what  we 
gathered,  and  there  was  so  great  strife  among 
us  to  see  who  could  get  the  most,  that  when 
there  came  a  blowing  storm  we  would  get  up 
at  midnight  before  we  could  discern  a  single 
nut,  and  trudge  off  after  them.  No  doubt 
this  was  healthful  work,  but  it  never  entered 
our  heads  to  do  it  for  that. 

As  to  diet,  we  were  brought  up  on  bread 
and  milk.  Our  parents  loved  it,  and  they 
generally  permitted  their  children  to  have 
what  they  liked  themselves.  I  usually  take 
one  meal  a  day  of  milk  now.  I  never  use 
a  stimulant  of  any  kind,  except  sometimes  a 
cup  of  coffee ;  I  drink  no  tea  at  all ;  I  have 
had  but  one  hard  cold  in  thirty  years,  for 
when  I  feel  one  coming  on  I  go  without 
eating  till  it  leaves  me ;  generally  one  meal 
suffices,  but  if  not  I  continue  the  starving 
plan  until  I  am  cured.  I  never  was  a 
good    sleeper,    though    I   generally    keep    my 


258      Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

bed  about  eight  hours  m  the  twenty -four. 
I  never  thought  bodily  exercise  did  much 
good  unless  for  some  purpose.  I  was  at  the 
Troy  Seminary  when  young,  to  learn  mathe- 
matics, as  figures  were  always  my  forte.  I 
could  not  sleep,  and  thought  I  was  almost 
sick.  Mrs.  Willard  told  me  that  I  did  not 
take  the  exercise  I  did  at  home,  and  if  I 
would  take  a  long  walk  every  morning  as  soon 
as  I  could  see  to  go,  I  would  be  much 
better.  I  tried  it,  and  I  think  it  weakened 
me,  for  I  had  no  object  in  view  but  to  get 
better,  which  fixed  my  mind  upon  myself,  and 
I  consider  that  wTe  enjoy  the  best  health  when 
we  think  the  least  of  ourselves.  Had  I  been 
obliged  to  go  because  I  must  attend  to  some- 
thing necessary  to  be  done,  I  have  no  doubt 
these  long  walks  would  have  helped  me. 
Working  in  the  open  air  is  without  any  ques- 
tion excellent  for  the  health  of  those  who  are 
sedentary  in  their  habits,  as  I  was  during  the 
seven  years  I  was  translating  the  Bible  from 
the  original  languages  five  times.  I  then 
found  it  necessary  to  take  active  exercise,  and 
I  set  to  raising  calves,  which  amused  me 
much,   as   they   would    follow    me    anywhere. 


Mary  J.  Studley,  M.D.  259 

I  never  sat  at  my  desk  very  long,  as  every 
fifth  week  my  sister  and  I  took  turns  about 
seeing  to  the  kitchen  affairs,  and  I  did  not 
quit  housework,  though  absorbed  in  my  trans- 
lations. I  have  not  often  indulged  in  eat- 
ing to  my  hurt.  I  have  been  regular  in  my 
meals,  eating  three  times  a  day,  but  never 
late  in  the  evening,  using  scarcely  any  meat, 
but  a  good  deal  of  fruit,  especially  at  break- 
fast. As  to  confectionery,  I  have  made  use 
of  very  little  all  my  days,  as  we  were  not 
supplied  with  much  change  when  children  un- 
less we  worked  for  it,  and  we  took  more 
pleasure  in  buying  a  good  book  with  the 
money  than  in  eating  it  up. 

Julia.  E.  Smith. 
Glastonbury,  Conn. 

i 

XXYI. 

MARY  J.  STUDLEY,  M.D. 

NERVOUSNESS      IN      GIRLS. 

Dear  Sir :  It  gives  me  great  pleasure 
to  comply  with  your  request  for  a  pa^e  ot 
my  experience  in  the  direction  of  lessons  upon 
the  "  Hygiene   of  Brain    and   Nerves "  among 


260     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits, 

the  young  women  of  the  various  schools  to 
which  I  am,  from  time  to  time,  welcomed 
as  a  teacher  of  the  laws  of  health,  and  if, 
among  the  many  rays  which  shall  combine 
to  shed  a  purer  light  upon  so  important  a 
subject,  my  one  little  ray  can  contribute  its 
modest  glimmer,  I  shall  be  giad  to  have 
sent  it  forth. 

It  has  been  my  privilege,  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years,  to  be  intimately  associated 
with  young  women,  either  as  teacher  in  the 
school-room,  in  the  earlier  years,  or  as  medi- 
cal practitioner  or  teacher  of  Hygiene  during 
the  later  ones,  and  every  day's  added  ex- 
perience only  confirms  me  in  the  position  I 
have  occupied  from  the  first  relative  to  the 
various  forms  of  nervousness  which  characterize 
us  as  a  sex.  That  position  affirms  that  the 
best  possible  balance  for  a  weak,  nervous 
system  is  a  well-developed  muscular  system. 
Weak,  shaky,  hysterical  nerves  always  accom- 
pany soft,  flabby  muscles,  and  it  is  a  mournful 
fact  that  the  majority  of  the  young  women 
whom  I  meet  in  schools  are  notably  deficient 
in  muscular  development.  The  well-rounded 
and   plump   bodies   are    not,   as    a    rule,   mus- 


Mary  J.  Studley,  M.D.  261 

cular  bodies,  as  may  be  easily  seen  by  the 
style  of  walking,  but  are  rather  the  result 
of  an  excess  of  adipose  tissue,  which  is  so 
apt  to  pass  current  for  good  flesh,  of  which 
it  is  the  poorest  counterfeit.  The  excessively 
thin  and  the  excessively  thick  are  the  figures 
which  develop  hysteria;  the  former  because 
they  are  all  brain  and  nerve,  and  the  latter 
because  they  are  all  fat  and  no  muscle. 
Both  types  are  highly  emotional,  and  can 
develop  an  attack  of  hysteria  on  the  slight- 
est provocation.  Both  are  prone  to  worry 
and  fret,  and  the  more  the  one  frets  the 
thinner  she  grows,  while  the  other  frets  and 
grows  fat. 

Both  are  house-plants.  The  thin  one  drinks 
strong  tea  and  passes  sleepless  nights.  The 
thick  one  puts  tight  bands  around  her  stomach 
and  liver  to  make  herself  look  like  the  thin 
one,  and  when  the  heart  asserts  its  crowded 
condition  by  a  "palpitation,"  due  to  the  gases 
of  indigestion  in  a  cramped  stomach,  she  is 
sure  she  is  going  to  die  with  heart  disease. 
Neither  the  very  thin  nor  the  very  thick 
one  can  ever  be  relied  upon  for  good  mental 
work,  for  how  can    a    healthy    mind    make  its 


262     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

home  in  a  sickly  body  ?  Neither  has  the 
hue  of  health  in  her  cheeks,  nor  its  lustre  in 
her  eyes,  and  both  promise,  only  too  surely, 
to  swell  the  ranks  of  women  with  some  one 
of  the  protean  forms  of  "female  weakness" 
when  they  leave  school. 

I  need  not  describe  the  non-historical, 
ruddy,  vigorous,  self- sustained,  comfortable, 
non-fretting  third  type.  We  all  know  her 
by  her  elastic  tread,  her  easy  carriage,  her 
composure,  and  her  grace  of  form  and  mo- 
tion. We  can  count  upon  her  just  as  surely 
as  we  count  upon  each  day's  sun.  She  is 
the  natural  young  woman.  .  She  has  inher- 
ited a  sound  body  from  healthy  parents,  and 
they  have  taught  her  to  treat  it  as  a  temple 
for  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  instead 
of  a  frame  for  the  display  of  dry  goods.  You 
can  tell,  by  her  motion,  that  she  has  good 
muscles,  and  that  every  individual  one  of  them 
is  just  as  free  to  act  as  were  the  muscles  in 
those  beautiful  Greek  figures  which  the  thin 
girl  pretends  to  admire,  but  refuses  to  imi- 
tate. Her  dress  is  light,  simple,  clean  and 
comely,  and  does  not  fetter  her  body  at  any 
point,   for  she  is  dress-reformed. 


Mary  J.  Studley,  JI.jD.  263 

I  think  it  is  "  Jean  Paul "  who  says : 
"  Half  the  sorrows  of  women  would  he 
averted  if  they  would  repress  the  speech  they 
know  to  be  useless — nay,  the  speech  they  have 
resolved  not  to  utter;"  and  according  to  the 
best  medical  authority,  the  other  half  would  van- 
ish if  they  would  put  off  the  fetters  they  know  to 
be  worse  than  useless  in  the  way  of  bones,  steels, 
bands  and  strings  and  let  their  bodies  main- 
tain the  shape  which  nature  intended  they 
should  have.  So  long  as  women  tie  and 
bind  and  lace  up  their  muscles,  whether 
it  be  those  of  the  body  or  its  extremities, 
thus  forbidding  the  free  circulation  of  the 
blood,  which  is  the  one  essential  for  healthy 
nerves  (for  what  is  pain  but  the  report  of 
the  nerve  that  the  blood  is  either  in  the 
wrong  place,  or  else  dirty  for  want  of  air  and 
exercise  ?),  just  so  long  will  the  nerves  run 
away  with  the  muscles,  and  women  will  pine 
and  fret  and  worry  themselves  and  all  their 
friends  with  their  ever-recurrino;  neuralgias 
and  hysterias.  Plain  food,  no  tea,  plenty  01 
milk,  no  late  hours,  no  love  stories,  a  skin 
kept  active  by  daily  contact  with  cold  water, 
plenty  of  outdoor  exercise,  and  a  dress  which 


264:     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

allows  every  muscle  and  every  organ  to  do 
its  allotted  work — this  is  the  hygienic  regi- 
men for  our  young  women — this  their  safeguard 
against  all  forms  of  women's  diseases,  provided 
they  come  from  healthy  parentage.  I  am 
more  and  more  convinced,  with  every  fresh 
contact  with  the  various  forms  of  uterine 
disease,  which  lie  at  the  root  of  most  neu- 
rotic manifestations,  that  the  abominable  man- 
ner in  which  women  have  so  long  abused 
their  bodies  by  misapplied  dress  has  done 
more  than  any  one  thing  to  swell  the  ranks 
of  sickly,  nervous,  hysterical  and  unhappy 
ones,  and  that  the  dress-reform  is  one  of  the 
greatest   reforms   of  the   century. 

Mary  J.  Studley,  M.D. 

(Resident  Physician  and  Teacher  of  Natural  Sciences, 
State  Normal  School,  Framingham,  Mass.  Also, 
author  of  "What  Our  Girls  Ought  to  Know.") 

XXVII. 
ELIZABETH   OAKES   SMITH. 

HEADACHES. 

Dear  Jtriend :  It  being  your  mission  to 
help  on  healthful  and  aesthetic  methods  of 
life,  allow  me  to   say  a  word  about  headaches, 


Elizabeth   Oakes  Smith.  2G5 

about  which  I  can  speak  with  some  emphasis. 
In  the  course  of  our  pleasant  pilgrimage  in 
this  part  of  the  universal  spheres,  we  some- 
times have  the  heart-ache,  as  our  human  and 
humanizing  sensibilities  have  play,  but  it 
seems  to  me  utterly  needless  to  have  the 
headache.  I  never  have  had  it,  unless  com- 
bined with  the  above  exception.  I  attribute 
my  exemption  to  a  habit  of  mine,  inaugurated 
early  in  life,  never  to  eat  a  second  time  an 
article  of  diet  that  had  once  made  me  con- 
scious of  a  physical  organ,  or,  in  other  words, 
had  disagreed  with  me. 

This  would  seem  a  natural  law  to  any  of 
us,  at  all  advanced  beyond  our  Cousin  An- 
thropoids, but  it  is  far  from  being  generally 
practiced.  I  by  no  means  place  this  absti- 
nence among  the  virtues,  because  so  utterly 
void  of  reason  is  the  opposite  practice,  of  in- 
dulging an  unwholesome  appetite.  It  is  true  I 
come  from  the  austere  Pilgrim  stock,  gener- 
ally devoid  of  an  undue  proclivity  to  table- 
luxury.  I  see  people  going  about  with  hand 
upon  the  stomach,  gaunt  and  cadaverous,  and 
actually  extorting  and  defrauding  us  of  our 
sympathies    as    Dyspeptics.      They     are     not 


266      Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

ashamed  to  be  known  as  such,  as  if  there 
were  no  disgrace  attached  to  organic  disease; 
nothing  nauseous  in  letting  the  world  know 
that  you,  exceptionally,  have  a  stomach;  that 
is,  that  something  is  the  matter  of  it,  because 
the  laws  of  life  have  been  violated.  Then 
come  the  crooked  back,  the  bars  under  the 
eyes,  the  untidy  yellow  tongue,  if  we  must 
talk  with  them — all  the  result  of  an  abuse 
of  the  table;  but  worst  of  all  racking  head- 
aches, that  totally  unfit  the  unhappy  possessor 
for  any  active  duty,  or  for  the  ordinary 
amenities  of  life.  People  have  to  go  about 
on  tiptoe  where  they  are,  and  little  children 
must  smother  down  the  laugh  native  to  child- 
hood. 

I  do  not  acknowledge  the  right  of  one 
sinner  to  compel  innocent  persons  around  him 
to  do  penance  for  his  sins.  His  selfishness 
and  gluttony  are  an  abomination.  Gluttony  is 
an  ugly  -  sounding  word,  but  it  is  the  only 
one  that  will  convey  the  idea ;  for  all  these 
headaches — that  is,  with  the  exception  that  I 
have  named  (and  I  would  like  to  say  even 
this  will  disappear  as  we  enter  more  fully  and 
belie vingly  into   the   great    relations    of    exist- 


Elizabeth  Oakes  Smith.  267 

ence) — are  caused  by  a  derangement  of  the 
digestive  organs,  brought  about  by  indulgence 
of  the  table.  "  A  good  Trencher  man,"  char- 
acterized old  vikings  and  warriors;  but  our  civili- 
zation contemns  that  aspect,  and  the  use  of 
the  brain,  rather  than  brute  force,  necessi- 
tates a  more  refined  method  at  the  table. 
Scholars  at  least  somewhat  covet  that  Para- 
disical sleep   of  which  the  great  Milton  tells : 

"Light   and   airy,   pure   digestion   bred, 
And  temperate  vapors  bland." 

Shakspeare    had    a   delicate    sense    of   the 

sweetness  of  digestion,    and   the  refinement   of 

an    esthetic  diet,  when  he  made  the  sensitive, 

though   voluptuous,    Cleopatra  recoil  from   her 

possible  experience   should   she    be    carried   in 

triumph   to     Rome,     and    she    resolves     upon 

death    sooner   than   be 

"Uplifted  to  the  view;  in  their  thick  breaths, 
Rank  of  gross  diet,   shall  we  be  enclouded, 
And  forced  to  drink  their  vapor." 

We  of  the  Union  are  a  dainty  people, 
fond  of  nice  things,  varieties,  one  dish  sup- 
planted by  another  at  our  tables,  thus  un- 
duly stimulating  the  appetite  and  taxing  di- 
gestion.    "We  do  not  thrive  well  on  the  coarse 


268     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

fare  which  will  satisfy  the  peasantry  or  sol- 
diery of  European  nations.  It  may  be  that 
wre  shall  be  compelled  to  adopt  the  same 
method  that  renders  it  necessary  to  give  the 
man  who  is  suffering  from  delirium  tremens 
a  stimulant  occasionally,  before  he  can,  with- 
out death,  be  let  down  to  the  platform  of  to- 
tal abstinence ;  and  thus  our  people,  to  be  rid 
of  our  national  disease,  will  need  to  go  grad- 
ually to  work  and  reject  piecemeal  our  too 
luxurious   diet. 

I  often  am  amazed  at  the  patience,  for- 
bearance, and  sweetness  of  Nature,  her  long- 
suffering,  before  she  lets  loose  the  sleuthe 
hounds  of  palsy  or  indigestion  upon  a  man 
who  piles  his  plate  with  such  vast  quantities 
and  such  incongruous  materials  of  diet.  Some- 
times, not  always,  she  forbears  with  him,  and 
simply  allows  him  to  pet  himself  into  corpu- 
lency, and  fat  men  will  even  boast  that  they 
"have  not   seen  their  feet  for   twenty  years." 

No  brain  of  any  magnitude  can  endure 
this,  and,  presto,  a  vein  snaps  and  the  man  is 

"Felled,   as  butcher  felleth  ox," 
and  we  call  it    apoplexy,    when  another   name 
would   be  nearer    the   truth. 


Elizabeth  Oakes  Smith.  269 

A  distinguished  writer  once  asked  ine, 
"  What  do  you  write  on  ?  "  I  did  not  quite 
understand,  and  floundered  about  somewhat 
as   to   subjects,  table,  etc. 

"No,   no;    what    stimulant?" 

Now,  I  never,  in  my  life,  prepared  my- 
self for  writing  or  speakiug  by  any  such 
extraneous  method.  My  ordinary,  somewhat 
plain,  meal — not  much  meat,  with  one  cup 
of  tea  or  coffee — suffices  for  all  occasions. 
From  childhood  I  have  been  accustomed  to 
fruit,  both  native  and  tropical ;  highly  flavored 
dishes  are  repugnant  to  me.  I  like  to  have 
an  orange,  apple  and  grapes,  with  a  dry 
biscuit,  before  me,  as  the  most  effectual  and 
delicious  stimulant  to  appetite.  I  have  always 
assimilated  kindly,  with  little  waste,  and  as 
I  grow  older  I  require  perhaps  a  little  less 
food — not  much  less. 

I  have  never  seen  the  time  when,  with  a 
coarse  cracker  or  baked  sweet  apple,  my  brain 
did  not  take  pleasantly  to  its  task.  I  do 
not  mean  to  say  I  have  always  lived  in  this 
way — I  mean  only  to  say  that  it  is  my 
way,  when  I  can  choose  without  disarrang- 
ing the   methods    of  those    about  me,   and   I 


270     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

have  always  been  telling  people  whose  hospi- 
tality I  shared  in  my  long  career  as  a  lec- 
turer: "Do  not  make  any  cake  or  pastry  or 
rich  dishes  for  me — I  am  happier  and  better 
without  them." 

You  will  see  from  this,  dear  friend,  why 
I  think  it  unpardonable  to  have  headaches, 
and  how  fully  I  sympathize  in  the  simpler 
modes  of  diet  which  you  recommend,  and 
which  I  have  practiced  whenever  possible,  and 
in  a  fuller  degree  than  most  of  our  people. 
Yours  truly, 

Elizabeth  Oakes  Smith, 
Pastor  Independent  Church,  Canastota. 
Canastota,  Mad.  Co.,  N.  Y. 


XXVIII. 

REBECCA  B.    GLEASON,  M.D. 

Dear  Sir:  I  advise  women  to  keep  off 
nervousness  and  the  fidgets  by  more  out-of-door 
exercise.  The  range  of  their  recreation  lies  too 
exclusively  in  the  house.  Fancy  work,  giving 
and  receiving  calls  and  company,  constitute 
little  change  of  thought  and  less  muscular 
exercise  than  they  really  need.     If  they  would 


Rebecca  B.  Gleason,  JLf.D.  271 

walk,  ride,  and  picnic  with  their  children, 
they  would  give  much  healthful  pleasure  to 
the  little  folks  and  gain  for  themselves  whole- 
some diversion.  These  outdoor  excursions  are 
easy,  if  the  dress  be  plain  and  the  food 
simple.     Open  air  will  give   the   relish. 

A  moonlight  ramble  is  much  better  than 
an  evening  party  for  securing  sound  sleep. 
Delicate  bodies  with  sensitive  nerves  fail 
early  from  too  much  indoor  life.  Such  per- 
sons have  their  troubles,  as  we  all  do,  but 
for  want  of  change  of  scene  cherish  them  so  con- 
tinuously that  they  become  nervous  and  super- 
sensitive. Active  exercise  has  great  power  to 
put  to  flight  morbid  mental  conditions.  But 
women  say,  "I  have  not  strength  to  walk  or 
work."  Why  ?  Because  they  have  exhausted 
their  nerve-force  in  thought,  in  feeling,  in  emo- 
tion, and  have  little  left  for  the  muscles. 
They  can  change  the  current  by  change  of 
habits.  Many  think  there  is  no  diversion 
for  them  because  they  cannot  go  to  the  sea- 
side, the  mountains,  or  to  some  mineral  spring, 
when  there  is  within  easy  reach  many  a 
pretty  view  of  hill,  of  meadow,  of  river,  or 
ravine,   which    has    seldom   been    visited,   and 


272     Physical  and  Intellectual  Habits. 

never  studied  so  as  to  be  remembered  and  ap- 
preciated. The  Infinite  Father  has  spread 
an  unlimited  feast  in  the  open  country,  be- 
fore every  eye ;  and,  if  what  we  see  is  really 
appropriated,  by  head  and  heart,  we  shall  be 
refreshed  and  strengthened  for  our  work. 
Yours  truly, 

R.  B.  Gleason,  M.D. 
Elmira,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  20,  1877. 


INDEX. 

PART  I. 
A. 

PAGE 

Air,  Scenery  and  Society,  Change  of 63 

Abstemiousness,  too  great,  111  effects  of 77 

A  hint  for  those  who  need  it 93 

Alcohol,  Effects  of,  upon  the  mind 120 

issiz'  advice 128 


B. 

Brain,  description  of  the 9 

Brains  of  Animals. 9 

Bodily  Heat  and  Nervous  Action 38 

Blood,  Supply  of,  for  the  Nerves 38 

Bloodlessness,  Nervousness  caused  by 39 

Brains,  wounded  or  injured 40 

Butcher's  meat,  not  food  par  excellence 65 

Bantingism 65 

Blandford,  Dr. ,  Lecture  by 74 

Brain  foods 96 

Bathing,  cold,  Carefulness  in 99 

Best  recreations  for  the  Nervous 103 

Brain,  Difference  between  Man's  and  Woman's 123 

Brain  labor,  Physiological  effects  of  excessive 126 

Brain,  The,  Training  both  sides  of 127 

Brain,  The,  Exercise  for 132 


274  Index. 

C. 

PAGE 

Cerebrum,  The,  Its  functions 10 

Cerebellum,  The,  Description  and  functions  of 11 

Cranial  and   Spinal  Nerves,   their  number,  names, 

uses  and  distribution 20 

Cranial  Nerves,  Special  remarks  concerning 25 

Climate  and  Nervousness Ill 

Checking  Morbid  Mental  Action 119 

Callow  Brains 146 

D. 

Depression  of  Spirits  from  unequal  Nervous  action. .     32 
Distressed  with  Learning 148 

E. 

Eating  fast,  and  Nervousness 100 

Expectant  attention 118 

Entering  the  Garden  of  Knowledge 148 

F. 

Force  of  different  brains,  comparative 43 

Forgetfulness,  Philosophy  of 44 

Fretfulness,  a  Nervous  disease 49 

Food,  healthful,  Importance  of 61 

Food,  good,  More  important  than  medicine 75 

Food,  quantity  of,  for  brain  workers 91 

G. 

German  Amusements 105 

Girls,  dull  and  spiritless 122 

H. 

Hygiene  of  the  Brain  and  Nerves 7 

How  the  Nerves  act 34 

Healthy  Nervous  Action,  Its  condition 37 

How  poisonous  matter  affects  the  Nerves 38 

Hysteria 60 

Head  work,  Rest  from,  not  always  necessary 64 

Herbert  Spencer,  A  wise  thought  from 141 

Hot  house  Brains 144 

Health  and  Education  should  go  together 148 


Index.  275 

I. 

PAGE 

Important  Questions  answered 88 

Irritability  from  imperfect  sleep 99 

K. 

Keep  up  a  stout  heart 63 

Kent,  Chancellor;  How  he  laid  the  basis  of  a  sound 
constitution 134 

L. 

Living  by  Rule 8 

Letting  the  Brain  lie  fallow 146 

M. 

Modern  Science,  Tendency  of 8 

Medulla  Oblongata,  description  and  functions  of 15 

Monotony  and  Nervousness 88 

Mental  overstrain  of  Merchants 101 

Mental  Hygiene  for  the  Aged 102 

Mental  Hygiene,  Brown-Sequard's  Rules  of 116 

Mental  Vigor,  Amount  of  blood  necessary  for 129 

Mental  Action,  Equally  distributed 147 

N. 

Nervous  Substance,  Composition  of 28 

Nervous  Tissue,  Destruction  and  reproduction  of  . ..  28 
Nervous  System  sympathetic,  Its  description  and 

functions 29 

Nervous  System  sympathetic,  Its  slow  action 31 

Nervous  Systems,   The  two,    Harmonious  develop- 
ment of 33 

Nervous  Substance,  Continuity  of 40 

Nervous  Activity,  Limit  to 41 

Nervous  Exhaustion 46 

Nervous  Exhaustion ,  Philosophy  of 47 

Nervous  Exhaustion,  Temporary  and  Permanent 47 

Nervous  Exhaustion,  Varieties  of 48 

Nervous  System,  The,  compared  to  a  machine 48 

Nervous  Disorders,  Propagation  of 50 

Nervousness,  How  to  cure  it 53 


276  Index. 

PAGE 

Nervousness,  Symptoms  of 59 

Nervous  Persons,  Exercises  for 62 

Nervousness,  Cure  of — Continued 64 

Nervous  Disorders,  Value  of  a  large  supply  of  food  in    74 

Nervous  people  eat  too  little 75 

Nervousness  among  Business  Men 76 

Necessity  of  frequent  holidays  for  the  Nervous 77 

Neuralgia;  Something  about  it 85 

Nervousness  among  Office-clerks 89 

Nervousness  among  Farmers'  Wives,  and  how  cured    90 

Nervous  System,  Effects  of  grief  upon  the 91 

Nervous  Exhaustion  through  indolence  92 

Nervous  Temperaments 94 

Nothing  in  excess 95 

Nervous  People,  Three  mottos  for 95 

Night-workers  on  daily  newspapers 98 

Nervous  people  must  not  work  too  fast 99 

Necessity  for  recreation 103 

Nervousness  in  Women,  Unsuspected  causes  of 109 

Nervousness,  Excessive  child-bearing  a  cause  of 110 

Nervousness,  Domestic  infelicity  a  cause  of 110 

Nervous  Children 110 

Nervousness,  Errors  in  dress  a  cause  of 110 

Nervousness,  Scrofula  a  cause  of Ill 

Nervous  School-children,  Remedy  for 115 

Normally  developed  Brains 120 

O. 

Oxygen,  Necessity  of  for  the  Nerves 40 

Oysters,  raw,  before  going  to  bed 62 

Out-of-door  Life  for  City  Women 90 

P. 

Poor  blood  and  Nerve  force 40 

Physical  training,  Excessive 66 

Passive  intellects 131 

Parents,  Gross  errors  of 135 

Phrenology,  Errors  corrected  by 136 


Index,  277 

R. 

PAGE 

Recuperation  from  Sickness  promoted  by  the  Sympa- 
thetic Nerves 31 

Radcliffe,  Dr.,  A  Lecture  by 64 

S. 

Spinal  Cord,  The  description  and  functions  of 17 

Sleep,  Necessary  amount  of 61 

Swallowing  medicine,  Love  for 87 

Sleep,  Its  relation  to  mental  health 98 

Sleep,  Difficulty  in  getting 100 

Sleep,  Rejuvenating  powTer  of 125 

Storing  up  Mental  Vigor 146 

T. 

Too  Wicked  to  Live 80 

Teachers,  Nervous  exhaustion  of 112 

Tyndall's,  Prof.,  advice  to  Students 130 

Too  early  Mental  Culture  a  mistake 138 

Take  Nature  for  a  second  mother 148 

XL 

Unconcious  Cerebration,  Illustrations  of 137 

V. 

Vice,  Its  effects  upon  the  Brain 45 

Vices,  Secret 109 

W. 

Will  and  Judgment,  Their  effect  on  Nervousness 45 

Walking,  as  an  exercise,  overestimated 69 

Woman's,  A,  objections  to  a  good  appetite 77 

Wedding  Journeys  as  causes  of  Nervousness 109 

What  our  Thinkers  and  Scientists  say 118 

Women,  Larger  interests  and  nobler  pursuits  for. . ..  122 

Walter  Scott's  Boyhood 140 

Worthless  Triumphs 146 


278  Index. 

PART   II. 

A. 

PAGE 

Alcott,  A.  Bronson,  A  Letter  from 195 

B. 

Buchanan,  Dr.  J.  R.,  A  Letter  from 171 

Baltzer,  Edward,  The  German  Reformer,  Interesting 

Letter  from 190 

Bryant,  William  Cullen,  Letters  from 214 

C. 
Cleveland,  Rev.  Charles,  Health  habits  of 244 

D. 
Dodge,  William  R,  Letter  from , 201 

F. 
Frothingham,  O.  B. ;  How  he  conducts  his  physical 

and  intellectual  life 150 

Foot,  Judge,  A  Letter  from 211 

G. 
Garrison,  William  Lloyd,  A  Letter  from 194 

H. 
Higginson's,  Thomas  Wentworth,  rules  of  intellect- 
ual and  physical  health 182 

Hunting,  Value  of  for  Nervous  Invalids 198 

Hopkins,  Mark,  Ex-President,  A  Letter  from 213 

Howitt,  William,  A  very  interesting  Letter  from 219 

How  to  throw  off  bad  feelings 247 

Hale,  Sarah  J.,  Letter  from,  concerning  her  health 

habits 250 

Headaches 264 

How  Women  may  keep  off  the  fidgets  by  out-of-door 
life 270 

L. 
Lewis,  Dio,  Interesting  Letter  from 205 


Index.  279 

M. 

PAGE 

Mann,  Mary,  Interesting  Letter  from,  concerning 
Horace  Mann  and  herself 251 

N. 
Newman,  Prof.  Francis  W.,  Interesting  Letter  from  159 
Nichols,  T.  L.,  M.D.,  Concerning  the  physical  and 

intellectual  habits  of  Englishmen 166 

Nervousness  in  Girls 259 

P. 
Perkins,  Frederic  Beecher;  What  he  thinks 207 

S. 

Smith,  Gerrit,  Physical  habits  of,  described  by  his 
daughter 179 

Smith,  Julia  E. ;  How  she  grew  up  to  healthy  wo- 
manhood  254 

T. 
Townshend,  Norton  S.,  M.D.,  Letter  from,  concern- 
ing the  mental  health  of  farmers 184 

Todd's,  Rev.  John,  Workshop,  described  by  himself  236 

W. 

What  a  Business  Man  thinks  about  Mental  Hygiene.  203 


' 


n.. 


#UVI^ERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


AMED IfflTT^ 


BIOMED 

*AIU9 


H%JlkiftB6 

REC'P 


)-30w-7,'56(C824s4)444 


3  11 


inn 

1094 


Ill 


